


Rise

by mankanshoku



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Mystery, Romance, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-24
Updated: 2015-10-18
Packaged: 2018-03-31 23:44:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 75,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3997675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mankanshoku/pseuds/mankanshoku
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Korra discovers her college is harboring a dangerous secret, she's pitted against the school's top student: the mysterious Asami Sato. </p><p>Beautiful, brilliant, and kind, even the hot-headed Avatar later accepts her offer of assistance. But as their friendship grows and the stakes get higher, Korra finally realizes that when it comes to the heiress, there's always been more to her than meets the eye.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stagnant

**Author's Note:**

> This is a College AU that centers around a coming-of-age story; this fic _heavily_ concentrates on character development for Korra, Asami, and Kuvira.
> 
> Books 1, 3, and 4 villains all make an appearance in this story.

Korra propped her legs up on her school desk the moment Kuvira left the room.

"Are we going over the same techniques today _again?_ " she sighed, kicking her seat back as far as she could without falling.

The freshman folded her arms behind her head and groaned even louder, clearly disrupting the concentration of the surrounding students. Korra instantly earned more than a few annoyed stares this time, but she paid them no mind as she continued talking. "...I mastered that sweep like the first day I got here. I swear, who actually learns anything from these conceptual discussions?"

"C'mon, Korra," Bolin nudged his best friend in the shoulder. "If you can fight giant spirit monsters on a daily basis, then I know you can take on anything. Such as—" Bolin lifted his notebook up, flipping over to the next page. It was graced with a doodle of human stick figures in interlocking positions. "—This absolutely _riveting_ two hour lecture on takedown sweeps."

Korra stopped fidgeting for a moment, a single hand raking down her face as she tried to comply with Bolin's charm. After all, he _was_ the only one with an earnest desire to help. She had to give him some form of credit. "Okay, so how much time is there left in class?"

Bolin grabbed the wrist of a random boy sitting next to him, squinting at his watch. "One hour and forty-five minutes."

“ _UGH_ —"

She could already feel the effects of imprisonment by another long lecture, and her body protested accordingly. She began cycling through various sitting positions which, _one way or the other_ , all ended up with her forehead pressed against the wooden table in defeat.

"Just... try not to go into the Avatar state before school is over, alright?" Bolin said, watching Korra writhe around in her chair.

The Southerner huffed, finally settling on her original pose- feet up, chair tipped back, neck arched for a better look outside the window. She caught a glimpse of the class next door, a sea of heads buried in an equally monotonous sea of textbooks. It went on just like that for pretty much every class in the Academy: hour long struggles of scribbling down notes in hopes of surviving midterm week.

Boarding school had turned out to be even more restricting than living with Tenzin on Air Temple Island. It was much harder to be absent and the teachers always seemed to know Korra's whereabouts, even outside of school grounds. Really, she thought the guards would be cool with her by now. _Snitches._

"I mean, you make some strong points there," Bolin agreed. "Who cares what kind of angle is made when hooking a dude behind the knee? Even in fighting there's math! I'll never escape!" he said, mock weeping into his notebooks. "I wanna get to the good stuff- let's knock each other out already!" The youngest of the two brothers shot up from his desk, making fists and punching the air.

"Guys, if you can't handle the fact that fighting has both a physical and mental component to it, go to a regular college and join an after school club. We're here to learn and build on old techniques to come up with new ones," Mako finally spoke up, earning petulant glances from both his friends. "The Four Nations weren't built in a day, you know."

Korra sighed. Yes, of course they knew. Students from the surrounding cities flocked to the Academy, seeking an outlet for their exceptional skill in combat, engineering, or research. They were to become the future defenders of peace, as a secret police force in training, something that a regular college education just couldn't satisfy. This was the result.

Bolin booed from his table. "Well, I'll tell you what I do know. That you're really killing our relaxed college vibe!" He made two hand motions that mimicked the rolling tides of an ocean.

Mako shook his head. "There is no such thing as being relaxed in this school."

Korra chuckled. As she leaned further back and balanced in her seat, she scanned the room for what seemed to be the hundredth time since entering the Academy last semester. And she saw the same things she observed the last ninety-nine times: sad, steel colored walls. It was no surprise that the most miserable looking room in the entire school was Kuvira's main lecture hall. There were two small windows on each wall with no curtains or blinds, allowing early spring sun to pour through.

Despite the wind chill being worse since they were situated in the mountains, Korra always wore her ribbed sky blue tank top. It almost matched her aquamarine tinted eyes, and complemented her dark brown skin quite well. Everything about Korra- her posture, her voice, her expressions- carried a heavy air of confidence. Even when she was bored out of her mind, tucking her chin into her palm and slouching, her muscles were a visible testament to her formidable strength.

"Come on you guys, we had this technique down weeks ago! Let's do something fun for a change. Let's cut class and take the rest of the day off!" A wide grin swept up the girl's face, shining with mischief.

"Nuh-uh. Absolutely not," the younger brother said, shaking his head like a child refusing to eat his vegetables. "You got us in trouble last time, and there's absolutely no way we're going to deal with the wrath of _Tornado Tenzin_ again." Bolin squinted and made a circling motion with his index finger.

Korra grumbled with dissatisfaction. If Bolin couldn't be convinced, there was no point in even trying with Mako. As she closed her eyes and opened her mouth to give another big sigh, she felt her chair tip back just a little too far from the propped stance and yelped. "W-w-woah!"

_"Ow!"_ Korra's eyes shot open and she slammed her head into the desk behind. There was Kuvira, her lip curled slightly into a snarl. The tyrant had pushed her chair further back without alerting the teenager.

_When the hell did she get there_ — _?!_ Korra thought, shortly before recalling her anger.

She rubbed her head begrudgingly as she adjusted herself back in the proper sitting position.

Korra's fiery temper was easily set off by Kuvira, and it took all of the freshman's willpower to keep her mouth shut.

Unfortunately, this was different than a high school, or a normal college, where teachers couldn't strike back at a temper tantrum. This was the Academy. And everyone knew Kuvira was definitely one teacher who enforced her zero tolerance policy for disobedience. There were rumors of her putting students in her specialized class through 'highly unnecessary and strenuous' training. Some fourth-years deemed it legalized abuse.

Since Korra was only a first-year, she was cautious around the masters who had a reputation for being callous with their students. She still didn't quite know how to bend all the rules just yet.

"Troublemakers like you are just untrained dogs," The metalbender sneered into the 18-year-old's face. "You snap at everything you find threatening, not knowing where to direct your loyalty and your pent up ferocity."

Korra glared right back up at her, which was something most people couldn't bring themselves to do.

_Try that again and I'll show you which one of us here is the_ _dog. Bitch._

The students surrounding her cowered. The intensity of the grudge match seemed to reach everyone except the stubborn Avatar.

"You all just need a rightful master," the ex-captain concluded, her displeased expression turning into one of amusement.

Korra's eyes darkened, looking away. The older woman's smile looked so sinister, it kind of unsettled her. But she wouldn't show any kind of backing down.

"I know your type," Kuvira said, testing Korra's defiant countenance. "You don't want to be owned, yet every fiber of your being screams for a worthy challenge."

The room had fallen silent, her classmates frozen with fear. All eyes were on the freshman, searching for her reaction, but she ignored everyone else.

"Korra, you will go to your next class and hand your teacher this slip to excuse you. You will meet me in my office after this lesson is over." Kuvira slid a pink piece of paper onto her desk and returned to the front of the room. "And there will be consequences, should you ignore my instructions."

* * *

After class, Korra found herself sitting outside the Academy's steps going into the man-made garden. It was called "Diamonds' Way" because a special kind of night-blooming flower literally lit up a particular spot in the garden from midnight to three in the morning. Everybody assumed that it was some sort of spirit giving the flowers their light source. Unfortunately, there hadn't been any sightings of the flowers for the past six years.

The teenager plucked grass blades from the ground, rolling them through her fingers then letting them slip back into the soil. She heard footsteps behind her, and assuming it was a guard, quickly whipped around to find a tall figure approaching her. Korra's irritated look softened when she realized it was second-year student Asami Sato.

"Hey, are you doing okay?" The ivory skinned girl smiled as she walked closer, cocking her head to the side to establish better eye contact.

"Um—" Korra's eyes lit up at once, but turned her gaze back at the grass. "Yeah, of course, why do you ask?"

"Well, for one thing, I know we have the same class together right now..." she sat down beside Korra and looked at her. "...And you clearly have no intentions on going to it. What's on your mind?"

It had been an entire semester since Korra started attending the Academy, but it was only recently that she'd gotten to know the heiress. She wasn't sure as to why such a popular girl was interested in becoming her friend. They were complete opposites. Korra was stubborn and outspoken. Asami was sophisticated and somewhat quiet, maintaining a cool and collected attitude.

"I don't know. Sometimes I find myself questioning whether coming here was the right decision." Korra said, mostly to the ground.

"Well, why did you come here, anyway?"

Korra looked up at Asami hesitantly. She didn't know if she could trust this girl yet, and despite being comfortable with herself, she wasn't as open to talking about her past with others.

"You're training in the secret police division," Asami said with a warm smile, sensing her uncertainty. "And most students here just want to protect the people however they can."

Before Korra could even respond, a teacher rounded the corner and pointed an accusing finger at the two girls. " _What do you two think you're doing?!_ You-" he turned to Korra who had started to stand up and back away, "-Are supposed to be meeting Kuvira! Stay right there! Don't you even _think_ of running away agai-"

"Let's go let's go let's go!" Korra grabbed Asami's hand and dashed into the Diamond garden, running as far as they could until their legs burned with lactic acid.

"Come back here!" The teacher screamed far behind them, "You may be the Avatar but you have to attend class just like everybody else!"


	2. Alive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since this is a college AU, everyone is dressed in more casual/toned-down versions of the clothing they usually wear on the show.

"Over here!" Korra pulled Asami into the next ring of the forest garden. Quickly, the waterbender turned a corner and pressed up against the bark of a large tree, yanking the heiress around with her.

The two girls remained standing, their breathing ragged from the instant surge of adrenaline. Korra put her hands on her knees and hunched forth, gathering herself together. She didn’t know what came over her to run away like that. Nor did the Southerner know what suddenly possessed her to take Asami along on the ride. They were now fugitives for the day, she supposed.

The freshman chuckled under her breath. At least it would be a change from her usual routine with Bolin and Mako.

After another minute of panting, Asami finally spoke up. "Do you hear anything?"

Korra turned her head, icy blue eyes darting around. "No, I don't. Actually… I think we lost him a long time ago."

The freshman peered out from the tree trunk they were nestled behind. Now that she thought about it, she didn’t recall that teacher going past the garden’s gate. It was always better to play it safe, though. They had run quite far off the main trail to make sure they weren’t followed.

“Who was that, anyway?” the engineer said, brushing away the stray leaves that got caught in the black mass of her hair.

“Probably another one of Kuvira’s suck-ups,” Korra muttered.

Asami left the safety of the giant pine they were standing under and looked for a way out. "Wow, I never knew the garden ran this deep. Where are we...? This doesn't even look like Diamonds' Way anymore. Maybe we took another exit out of there without knowing."

"No, that couldn't be. I know for a fact that the garden has a border of small stones surrounding it. We didn't pass anything like that, so we're still inside. It just goes much further than we expected…"

Korra trailed off and searched for the paved path back, but she was greeted with more and more trees in every direction she turned.

_Uh-oh._

She looked left and right, seeing the same image as her head went back and forth. She looked up. The trees were as tall as the buildings in Republic City. Though she knew it wasn’t worth her time, she looked down anyway. The grass and dry mud beneath her feet left no tracks for them to trace back to the entrance.

"…So much for man-made,” Korra concluded with a sigh.

"Come on, I think I hear some running water. Maybe it's a fountain," Asami wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand.

"If that’s true, the path probably isn’t too far from it then,” Korra said.

“So let’s go?”

“Yeah.”

She followed Asami, using her perception of the sound as their lead.

Both the engineer and the Avatar remained silent, beginning their slow trek towards a place that made more geographical sense. Korra wasn’t really sure what Asami was thinking, or why the sophomore decided to join her on the steps earlier.

Did she… just need some company, too?

This was actually the first time they had ever really been outside of class together.

As the two girls walked side by side further into the forest, Asami broke the ice by suggesting what to do next after they stopped being lost. Going to an ice cream parlor downtown sounded like a tempting idea.

 _Anything except dining hall food,_ Korra thought, reminiscing the days when she could just go down the street from her high school to get real takeout.

There was a railroad that passed through the mountains and went all the way back to Republic City. The train came once every hour, though the journey all the way back to the city was two hours. Maybe they'd be able to catch the last afternoon train down there.

Korra enjoyed the smell of nature, especially at this time of year. The forest had a chilled dampness to it around the late afternoon, a light fog hanging around the area like a curtain. It teased her skin, clinging to the fine hairs on her arm and forming small goose bumps. Since she was from the Southern Water Tribe, she was used to very frigid conditions and welcomed such temperate weather. Asami, on the other hand, seemed to be getting more bothered as the time passed.

The Avatar looked over and saw the raven-haired girl clutch her arms and hug herself. Korra didn't notice that she had locked eyes on Asami's figure and began staring, observing how slender and feminine the older girl looked, until the sophomore said something. "Like what you see?" She gave the freshman a wink.

"Wait, what?" Korra's eyes snapped back to Asami's face, caught off guard. Instead of making up an explanation, she found herself lost in how pretty Asami looked in the cold air, trying to huddle up… Her face faded to an even paler color, contrasting with her jet-black hair and emphasizing her porcelain skin. Her lips seemed to become a plump, redder shade as well, puckering from the increased moisture in the fog. So dewy…So beautiful.

After a few seconds passed, Korra realized she was staring again, but the emerald eyes looking back at her didn't avert its gaze either. Did Asami just try to flirt?

No, she was probably just joking.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about how we're going to make it out of here before nightfall." Korra paused. "You look like you're freezing. Here, wear this," she untied the thin wool hoodie from her waist and handed it to Asami.

"Thanks," she said gratefully, quickly putting it on.

After walking for a couple more minutes in silence, she let out a small chuckle, like she had been thinking about something and finally decided to say it. "So this is what you'd rather do than go to class, huh?"

"Hell yeah! I'd much rather be bored with myself than have it imposed on me by another repetitive lecture," Korra said. "Staring at trees is way more satisfying than staring at a blackboard."

"Wow, you're much more restless than I thought. You can't even stand to be talked at if it's not interesting to you," she giggled. "You're funny,"

 _I am?_ Korra thought, blushing slightly.

"Hey, why don't you air bend your way up the tree trunks and see over the top of the forest?" Asami suggested.

"I can't. There was a gateway with chi-blocking properties at the entrance of the garden. No bending abilities here."

"That's pretty odd, why would they have that?" Even though Asami was in her second year at the Academy, she didn't really have the chance to explore the premises. She had multiple engineering classes that required both a lab and discussion section, and as the heiress of Future Industries, Asami was required to be social and go to parties to make connections. This left very little time to be by herself.

"Ever since the disappearance of the flowers, the faculty suspected someone was tampering with the great spiritual energy of the garden… So they decided to take precautions so no one would abuse it further."

Asami looked at her with her lips puckered to the side, like she’d never heard about these gateways before.

Korra continued, "Actually… there are a couple of them in certain parts of the Academy to discourage benders from using their abilities as a cheat."

Asami raised her eyebrow. "Like where?"

"Like in some of the arenas used for sparring. For example, earth benders can use their seismic sense for a 360-degree field of vision, causing other parts of their training to suffer by using this natural advantage."

"Oh, I had no idea they did that. I've always fought in the arenas with no-holds-barred. That's what you have to do to place in the school's competitions," Asami said.

"The school holds competitions?" Korra asked, immediately intrigued.

"Of course, you didn't know?" she was surprised that the competitive Avatar was completely unaware.

"I spend a lot of time running back and forth from the Academy to Air Temple Island to train with Tenzin on the weekends. I tend to miss some things with all the hectic Avatar stuff," she explained.

"Ohhh, so _that's_ why you come to class to relax and sleep," Asami teased.

"Hey!" Korra laughed, giving Asami a light shove. "I do the work that's required of me. And _then_ I doze off. "

"Very good, freshman, you at least have your priorities in order," Asami laughed. "Yeah, the school holds official annual competitions, but they hold informal, spontaneous competitions as well, no warning whatsoever."

"And how many have you competed in, Miss Sato?" Korra joked, not expecting to be surprised at the number.

"Eight. And I've won all my divisions in hand-to-hand combat." Asami said, like it was no big deal. "Adding the formal competitions would bring it up to ten."

Korra's jaw dropped. "Ten?!"

Asami rubbed her chin, thinking aloud. "I've been training since I was little. I wouldn't expect anything less from myself."

 _Amazing… She must be really skilled to be both a student of the Academy and then first-place winner of all those rounds,_ Korra thought to herself. She knew Asami was the highest ranking student in the school, but ten competitions seemed like overkill if she was fighting benders, too.

"Let's save that story for another time, when we're not stranded in a giant garden. I could give you the details about how to compete, 'cause I know that you're excited about it now." Asami smiled and gave Korra a knowing look.

"Of course I am!" Korra pouted. " _Fine_. I guess we could talk about it later."

"Good," Asami said. "Well, anyway, these trees are far too tall to climb, and I don't have any of my regular tools on me. It looks like we're going to just have to walk as far as we can until we reach the fountain or stone border first,"

"Good idea," Korra agreed, "Then we can just follow the stones around back to the entrance."

"Awesome!" Asami clapped her hands. "We'll get out of here in no time."

* * *

 "I'm _dying_ ," Korra said, finally collapsing to the ground. "We've been walking around here for hours and it's too dark to see anything anymore… And the sound of running water disappeared ages ago…"

The teenager rolled onto her stomach and let out a noise of frustration into the ground. "How are we going to get out of this place! I'm so hungry," She curled into the fetal position, comically demonstrating her dire need for sustenance.

Asami joined the girl and sat close to her. "Exactly how much trouble do you think we're in right now?"

"A lot. They probably dispatched some search parties to find us as soon as the sun set," Korra mumbled. "Or maybe they didn't, and we'll just die here." She tended to go for deadpan humor when she was feeling defeated. When she got back to the Academy, she knew Mako would chide her in his older-sibling fashion as he does with Bolin. And Bolin would probably poke fun at her for hanging out with Asami. At night. Just the two of them. You know…under a moonlit sky, and all.

"I'm sorry for literally dragging you into the forest with me," Korra apologized. "I thought that after at least an hour-long stroll, we'd be out of here by now,"

"Don't apologize. I came to meet you because I wanted to," Asami assured her. "I was done for the day anyway, after that class we skipped."

"I wonder how Kuvira is going to handle me when we get back," Korra wondered.

"You have a lot of guts to be ignoring her orders," Asami said, leaning back on her two hands. "Even I wouldn't do such a thing, and my dad is a big contributor to the Academy. Knowing Kuvira… she _still_ probably wouldn’t hesitate to metalbend a knife through me.”

"I don't care about that woman's threats," Korra said. "She's arrogant and way too demanding. People always get scared over someone that talks big,"

After a long moment of silence, Korra turned her head parallel to the ground and eyed Asami carefully. "Why did you follow me to the steps after class, anyway?" she asked quietly.

Asami decided to lay on her back as well, folding her arms over her head and looking at the stars. "Honestly, Korra, I just find you extremely interesting," Asami freely admitted, after a short pause. "I've never had such a powerful friend. I truly admire everything about you,"

Korra felt her face get hot despite having her other cheek smashed into the cold ground, but she decided to not ask any more questions.

She didn't want to push this warm feeling she had any further and be met with disappointment. She already had a lot on her plate, and becoming attached to someone could be problematic. Korra could feel the exhaustion and tenseness building up in her legs after walking so long and being deprived of two meals. Laying on the ground like this felt fine, and she felt her eyes starting to get heavy again. The hunger pangs tired her even further, and she began to drift off.

"I want to know more about you," Asami said quietly. "And I—"

Asami stopped talking abruptly, as if something else caught her attention.

Korra waited patiently, still dizzy from hunger and sleep deprivation. Almost a whole minute went by before she lifted an eye open. "Asami, were you saying something?" Korra didn't bother picking her head up. The ground was so cool and comfortable, it put her in the perfect position to pass out.

Asami had been staring far ahead into the fields in front of her, making sure she was seeing straight. She blinked once more, rubbing her eyes as a very strange scene unfolded before her. She started to open her mouth to call Korra's attention, but no sound was coming out. _This couldn't be happening._ The heiress watched the night sky brighten gradually, by the purest form of light she’d ever laid eyes on. No, she was definitely not hallucinating.

Flowers were appearing in the distance… and they were _moving towards her_.

"Korra… Korra, look!" The older girl interrupted excitedly, her voice shooting higher in volume. She started shaking Korra's shoulder erratically, making her jolt. "You’re not going to believe this. It's…It's the flowers!"

Korra rolled onto her back and sat up. "What are you..."

As her eyes leveled with the open grassland before her, her mouth hung agape in astonishment.

She was met with the most brilliant display of light she had ever seen. A whole field of glowing little bulbs started to crop up a couple hundred feet away from the pair. It was unmistakeable. The long-absent Diamond flowers were blooming before their very eyes.

"I…I don't understand. There haven't been any reported sightings in six whole years…"

Most of the petals that opened emanated a bright white, but there were some in red, orange, and pink shades as well. At first, they opened up at a distance from the two friends, shining and spontaneously appearing like candles just being lit, forming a fantastic bed of luminescence. Then, new lights began to dot a path toward the girls, encircling both of them with a gentle beaming. Korra and Asami looked down at the ground they were sitting on, in awe of what was happening. "Where did these come from? I didn't even notice them on our way here. There are so many!"

The Diamond flowers blossomed one by one, and after circling the girls, dotted a line away from them in a new path.

Asami pointed at the direction they were going in. "They’re… I think they’re _spirits_ , Korra, and they want us to follow them!"

The students got up and quickly jogged alongside the crystal-like forms, a new light blooming with every step, leading them further and further in one direction.

"Where do you think they're taking us?" Asami asked between labored breaths, trying to keep up with the pace of the flowers.

"I don't know, but we better not lose 'em! They only last until 3 AM!"

As Korra and Asami continued to sprint to their unknown destination, the freshman glanced back over her shoulder. They had left a gleaming trail weaving in and out of the fields behind them. Korra turned her attention back to the front, her ears picking up on the sound of rushing water.

"Hey, do you hear that?"

"It must be the fountain I thought I heard a few hours earlier!" Asami said.

They finally came to a halt when the shimmering trail ended in a body of water that blocked them from crossing. They realized it was not a fountain, but a small waterfall that ran through the forest.

Korra bent down, looking at the last Diamond flower that appeared inside the waterfall's stream, wondering if there was some kind of clue it was giving her. She crouched over further, unsure if there was something she wasn’t seeing. Asami peered over her shoulder with caution, the light causing her eyes to glow a harlequin green.

Hesitantly, the freshman dipped her fingertips inside, and the water began to glow gently as it rippled outwards.

The light slowly became stronger, stirring, and then coming to life.

"Avatar Korra…"

Her eyes snapped open and she ripped her hand out, startled by the voice.

"She found us…"

"Help us,"

"Please, we've been looking for you…"

A myriad of dim voices called out to her, beckoning her to take a closer look at her reflection. They sounded weak, as if they were taking all their strength just to speak to her.

"Tell me what's wrong, spirits. Why did you call me here?" Korra got on her hands and knees again to squint into the flowing creek, waiting for their answer. The water softly bubbled, indicating that a few of them were present underneath the surface. Soon, one of their heads rose above with a splash.

"There is great evil brewing within the Academy…" The spirit said as it closed and opened its eyes lethargically, looking like it was about to fall back asleep again. "…You must put an end to it. They are working faster now more than ever before."

"What are you talking about? The Academy was built to train warriors and protect innocent lives," she said, looking perplexed.

"Yes, that was indeed the original intent." Another entity lifted its head up, swimming in small circles. "But now there's a new power that wants to harness the students' abilities and then this forest's spiritual energy to bring harm to the whole world."

It dipped back into the water as well, and a new spirit came up to the surface. "Avatar Korra, you must hurry, or the damage we have sustained will become permanent. The diamond flowers waited for your arrival so they could finally bring you here to talk to us…" Its voice became a little raspier. "Look at us… We're being suppressed and suffocated… They're making us fade away…"

"Do you know who is doing this? Tell me! I'll take care of it right now!" she tried to reach for the spirit but her hand went right past its body and into the stream behind it.

"They're already on to you…That's why there's a gateway going into the garden…They knew we might try to speak to you…"

"Who is 'they'?!" Korra’s voice rose with alarm. "Who are these people? How can I find them?"

"Help us, Avatar…please, hurry…"

"No, wait a minute-!" she hunched forth as the light faded from the stream. "I need more information!" her eyes widened as the last remaining spirit was swallowed up by the river, and the glowing went with it as well, back into the bottom of the pool.

And with that, the diamond flowers, hundreds of them sparkling in the field and path, immediately vanished.

And Asami and Korra were left in pitch black again.


	3. Doomsday

The stream continued to lap softly against its rocks.

As soon as the last glow of light disappeared, the chirping of crickets and other creatures of the night resumed actively. The only other noise that could be heard was Korra's heavy breathing. She remained kneeling down, barely being able to see the black water flow past her. For a moment, the two teenagers were speechless.

Even though the moon only lit up half their faces, it was clear that both of the girls' expressions were ridden with serious concern.

"This isn't good," Korra finally said. "We don't have any real leads… Plus it's only my second semester here, so I don't know any of the faculty or administration well enough to point out suspects."

"Not only that, but it could be another student, someone who doesn't have any real authority right now," Asami added.

Korra buried her fist in the ground. "Damn it!"

Asami crouched beside Korra, tucking her skirt between her legs. "Listen, we'll figure this out." She put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "The spirits told you to hurry, but they didn't give an exact day or time you had to clean this up by. That means you still have a little while to fix this."

"I know, but I..." Korra rubbed her temple, unable to find the words to explain her distress. She wanted more than anything to help, but did this really have to happen now? She was just beginning to get adjusted to normal school life. And now, the place she called home, the place that should be helping her become a better Avatar, could become a threat to her instead.

"Hey, hey," Asami put her other hand on Korra's opposite shoulder as well, and straightened the younger girl out so she could have a good look at her. "I'm here. And Bolin and Mako are here for you, too. This is your first big mission, but we'll always be willing to help however we can."

Korra allowed Asami to give her a light hug. _This is weird,_ Korra thought passively as their bodies pressed together. _She feels so… comfortable._ She closed her eyes and inhaled her scent, a little more deeply than she meant to.

 _Roses_.

Korra's mind stopped spinning for a moment _. Why do women smell so good?_

"Just live your life normally, and keep your eyes peeled," Asami said over her shoulder. "You can tell Tenzin about this when we get back. I'm sure he will have a helpful opinion on the matter," the older girl suggested.

Korra opened her eyes and gently pulled away from the embrace, gathering herself together.

"Mhm. And we should keep this between us and Bolin and Mako. If we tell anybody that works in the Academy, we might tip the perpetrators off to the fact that we know something."

Korra was perplexed with the new burden she faced, but it was her job to fix things. She was just glad Asami was there to experience the first sightings of the diamond flowers together, as well as the ominous message from the spirits.

There was something about warnings that made the hairs on the back of her neck rise. Korra didn't look at warnings as signs of caution; rather, she saw them as death sentences. Whether it was written or verbal, it always made her heart race a little faster, as if the danger would be imminent, no matter what she would try to do. But she had to compose herself. She was the Avatar, for goodness' sake. She was older and wiser and she was supposed to be independent. She needed to be in control of her fears.

Korra took a deep breath then exhaled, jumping back to her feet and extending a hand to Asami to do the same. "Come on, let's follow the river to its source. I'm sure the garden wont encompass an ocean," Korra smiled.

"Alright then, let's get going," Asami took her hand and was pulled to her feet again.

* * *

After walking another fifteen minutes, some loud rustling of leaves and crunching of twigs alerted the girls to a new presence in the area. A whiny hum seemed to follow the pattern of footsteps.

"Um…What was that?" Asami looked left and Korra looked right.

The mumbling and rustling became louder as it neared the two girls who stood in place, ready to defend themselves if need be. Finally the noise came close enough for words to be audible.

"I don't get paid enough for this…"

"You don't _need_ to be paid, you fool, the Academy offers free room and board and a meal plan to guards,"

"I know that, but what about my personal needs? Like, maybe I want to treat a lady out to dinner or somethin', sometime, ya' know?"

"Shut up. Keep walking. "

Asami and Korra lowered their defensive stance and looked at one another. "I think we've been saved," said Korra.

Soon, the girls could see two lamps being swung in their direction.

"Hey! Over here!" Korra waved.

It was young Baatar, accompanied by a lanky guard who sauntered behind him three steps too slowly.

As soon as Baatar caught sight of the Avatar, his face grew hostile and he took long, powerful steps up to the students. "You two ladies!" he spat, "Are in the utmost trouble! For blatantly disrespecting Kuvira's orders!"

Baatar grit his teeth, inches away from the Avatar's face.

"That's fine, whatever, is it a long way back? We've been lost for hours and I'm starving," Korra said, unflinching.

"Me?" Asami demanded. "I wasn't ordered by Kuvira to do anything!"

"You," Baatar said, pointing an accusatory finger at the 19-year-old, "Are an accomplice to this runaway and must be punished for being an accessory to this crime!"

"Oh please, would you relax? I swear, do we even attend an establishment for people of legal age?" Korra gave Baatar an incredulous look. "You can't boss us around like high school children,"

"Everyone signs a contract before coming to the Academy to abide by its rules. If these rules are broken, there will be a punishment to fit the transgression. You broke the rules by ignoring authority, the very people that train you to become a better bender and fighter. Come," Baatar whipped around and marched off into the direction back to the dorms.

"Don't worry, Asami," Korra looked over her shoulder. "I'll get you out of it. They can't do anything to you."

Asami's eyes were downcast, but she nodded and walked alongside her friend. She was just relieved they could finally go home.

* * *

"You… You did what?!" Bolin's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head.

The young water tribe girl looked at her friend while stuffing a bowl of noodles into her mouth. "I did what I always do," Korra said, shrugging. "Except this time, I did it to Kuvira instead," she said with a loud slurp. "Getting chewed out for no justifiable reason is just not my thing. I regretted not speaking back to her in class, so I decided I'd just ditch her. She can't tell me what to do."

"No, no, no. You don't _understand_ ," Bolin leaned into Korra's eating bubble. "You see, I _like_ being your friend, Korra, and well, I happen to like keeping my life, too,"

"Bo, I have no idea what you're talking about," Korra said, greedily finishing the last of her takeout from the late-nite café and chugging down some cold tea.

"She's not like the others!" Bolin shrieked, now touching his forehead with Korra's. "I don't know if you noticed this, but that woman is crazy. And she literally enjoys making people suffer,"

Korra rolled her eyes and pulled a strawberry shortcake slice towards her plate.

"And she likes making the people that _know_ the people suffering, suffer along with them!"

Korra lifted a piece of the dessert into her mouth, indulging in its sweetness. She swallowed and uttered a satisfied sound, then put her fork down on her plate with a _clink_. "Listen, Bolin, I have to tell you something."

"That you'll formally apologize for your wrongdoing and bow down to Kuvira like the rest of us?"

"No, dammit, listen to me." Korra looked at her friend. "I think she's up to something."

"Yeah, we all know that Korra, up in craaaaazy town, if that's what you mean!"

"No, Bolin. Me and Asami saw the diamond flowers blossom at midnight today. Or, ehr, yesterday," Korra said, glancing over at the clock that read **1:47 AM**.

"No way!" Bolin covered his cheeks with his hands. "Are you sure? That's impossible!"

"I'm sure. They dazzled just like the textbooks describe," Korra assured him. "But it led me to a place with spirits, saying that they were in grave danger of being wiped out due to someone in the Academy,"

"And you think that person would be…" Bolin cocked an eyebrow.

"I'm not totally sure, but I think Kuvira's behind it. The flowers disappeared six years ago, and that's when Kuvira took over the administration of the school."

"Whoa there, partner," Bolin said. "Slow down. You're going to need a lot of evidence before you go around accusing Kuvira of things. You might get kicked out of the Academy, and then you won't have access to inside information anymore." He looked to see if Korra was considering what he was saying. "Besides, it's not always the obviously mean ones that are up to no good. It could be another teacher we really trust. You never know…"

"Yeah, I know that, which is why I can only have you, Mako, and Asami know about this."

Bolin opened his mouth to ask another question, but then caught on to her last few words. He paused, and blinked. A playful grin started to form on his face. "Oooh, Asami, huh…?" he nudged Korra in the ribs and she choked on her last piece of cake. "I guess someone's been getting close with her new _girl_ friend…"

"Bolin, not now!" Korra started to fidget with her hair. She and Bolin had been friends since high school and he knew it was out of the ordinary for Korra to hang out with someone so... ladylike.

"I can get along with girls too, you know!" She punched him hard in the shoulder, knowing he could take it. She quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, you're right, and it might not even be a single person causing this. The spirits kept referring to this evil as a 'they' rather than a 'him' or 'her'. But I just have that hunch." She lowered her eyes and scraped at the crumbs on her plate.

"Well, Korra," Bolin said as he put a hand on her head, sensing her worry, "You know we'll be by your side when you need it." An earnest expression crossed his face. Despite Bolin being even younger than Korra, what he lacked in age, he made up for in his genuinely caring attitude. "Keep me posted about what's happening. I'll tell Mako about this for you, since you'll be having one hell of a day tomorrow…" Bolin noticed that Korra looked like she needed some time to think. He uncrossed his legs and headed for the door. "Alright, guess I'll head back to my dorm now,"

"See ya later, Bo." Korra said. "And…Thanks for staying up with me,"

"I'm glad you're home safe," he said. "See ya,"

* * *

It was early in the morning and rectangles of blinding sunlight began to creep through the blinds in Korra's room.

She could hear birds starting to tweet to one another, their communication incessant. Korra opened her eyes slowly, first turning over in her bed to ensure that she didn't stare directly into the sun's rays.

"Mmmnnh…" Korra murmured to herself. Her head pounded; she hadn't gotten enough sleep last night. Was she actually worried about what Kuvira was going to do today?

The freshman took a big stretch and unwrapped her chest bindings. She had forgotten to take them off last night and needed to change them.

_I have to shower. I was so tired when I got home that I forgot about these..._

Just as she put the old bandages down and threw off her bed covers, there was an curt knock on the door. Korra looked up, wondering why she had a visitor at this hour. The dining hall wasn't even open yet.

"Just a sec-" Korra hadn't finished half her sentence when her door unlocked and opened.

"What the hell!" the half-naked girl grabbed her blanket and covered her chest.

In marched Kuvira, unfazed by the scene before her. A guard closed the door behind them. "Good morning, Avatar Korra." Kuvira looked down at the young girl sitting on the bed, looking bewildered.

"You didn't think I'd be waiting for you again so you'd have another chance to ignore me, did you?" Her face was stern, allowing her words to sink in. She could see a look of realization cross Korra's face, finally understanding the seriousness of her transgression, enough to warrant a visit from Kuvira in her personal quarters.

Korra didn't say anything. She had already said enough with her actions when she ran off yesterday. Instead, she studied Kuvira carefully, determining any hidden message beneath her facial expression. What was she going to do, make Korra do fifty push-ups or run around the Academy a hundred times?

"Well, Avatar, if you've got no excuses, I guess I'll get right to how you will be making up for your actions." Kuvira said smugly, knowing that the Avatar's mind was running with questions now. "You will be fighting today at noon," Kuvira commanded.

Korra's ears perked up. A fight? That didn't sound so bad.

"...In front of the entire school," Kuvira went on with a smirk, seeing the hopefulness fade away on the girl's face. "So everyone can see why the Avatar is so skilled that she doesn't need to behave properly like the rest of her peers."

Korra clenched her jaw. _Is she planning something? I mean, I'm pretty confident in my ability to win, and I don't tire easily._ Maybe she was trying to turn the student body against her. If she won, people would probably think she was a showoff. If she lost, they would doubt her ability to be a dependable Avatar.

Still, Korra easily shrugged off these thoughts. _It doesn't matter whether they like me or not. At the end of the day, I'm here to improve for myself, not for anyone else. And that is what will make me a capable leader and protector._

"That sounds great," Korra said, scrunching up her face and leaning forward, pointing a thumb at herself. "I'll take whoever and however many people you wanna throw at me."

"Oh no," the taller woman wagged her finger, "There's only one person you will be facing today," she said, beginning to turn around for the exit. "And it won't be timed. Loser will be defeated by submission or knockout,"

"Ha! That's cute," the 18-year-old snorted, crossing her arms over her blanket. "Like I can't take one person in a knockout round,"

"Glad you feel so ready, Avatar," the older woman said, opening the door. "I'm sure it will be very interesting." She paused before taking another step, and looked over her shoulder.

"Oh, and by the way... Your opponent will be Asami Sato."

As the door clicked close behind her, Korra's heart skipped a beat.


	4. KO

Korra sat frozen in her bed, cycling through all her options.

The visit from Kuvira was so abrupt it kept throwing off her train of thought.

 _"I had promised to get Asami out of this..."_ Korra racked her brain about what she should be doing first. Did she already know about the fight?

Of course, bargaining with Kuvira was out of the question. And it wasn't like they could ditch again. She had to find Asami, but she had no idea where she lived on campus. There were more than four communities, and they were quite spread apart from each other. Even if she did use her bending to move faster, she couldn't be knocking on every door until she found her.

Korra tussled her hair and let out an exasperated groan. She only had about four hours until the fight. Her best guess was that it would be held in the grand arena. If Kuvira's goal was to humiliate a new student in front of the entire school to break their resolve, that would be the place to do it.

 _Poor Asami,_ Korra thought to herself. _She's probably worried sick right now..._

Korra heard the school bells go off in the distance. Breakfast was now being served. She hopped off her bed and put on a sweatshirt. She'd have to do her bindings later, before the fight started. As she walked down the hallway, she heard the normal laughter and commotion from the other suites, groups of friends ready to go get breakfast together. Unlike many other schools, the students at the Academy were all early risers, adhering to a strict morning schedule consisting of physical warm ups after 9, class discussion and lecture, then finishing the day with some training time.

As usual, their suite doors hung slightly ajar, welcoming visitors. But as she walked past them, fussing over what she'd have to do with Asami, bits of their conversation made their way into Korra's ear.

"Oh my gawsh, did you hear about what's happening today?"

"Yeah, they cancelled all our afternoon classes just so that everyone would attend."

"This fight is going to be so sick!"

"I hope whoever this opponent is, she'll kick the Avatar's butt. Can you believe how arrogant Korra must be, going around and ignoring everybody that tries to help her?"

Korra did a double take. _People are already rooting against me?!_

She had half the mind to kick the door down and demand that they take that back _._ Those guys had no idea what they were talking about. So what if she had her own way of doing things?

Korra shoved her hands into her sweater pockets and kept moving. She'd have to eat a light breakfast and run over to Mako and Bolin's about this.

She walked swiftly towards her community's dining hall, right past all the pajama-clad freshmen and sophomores, sleepily trudging to get their nourishment.

When she opened the door of the dining hall, all heads turned to her and the cafeteria became silent.

Ignoring the stares and whispers, Korra grabbed a paper plate and walked up to the main serving area. She greeted the normal server behind the counter.

"Hey, Yin."

"Well hello there, Korra," the old lady responded sweetly. "The usual?"

"No, it's alright, I'll just take some eggs and two pieces of toast today. I'm kind of in a hurry."

"I bet you are, what with that big fight you have coming up later today." She put the requested items on Korra's plate.

"Yeah, I'm uh...Real pumped up for that."

Yin chuckled, adjusting her serving hat. She leaned forward and looked at the freshman square in the eye and winked. "You've got guts, kid. Don't lose 'em now." She turned to the line that had formed behind Korra. "Next!"

 _So I've been told..._ Korra smiled sheepishly, appreciating the reassurance, even though she tried denying to herself that she needed it. As she exited the dining hall, guilty thoughts of her being at fault for dragging Asami into this mess began to build up more and more inside her.

She started sprinting to the dorms where Bolin and Mako shared a room.

Mako had the option of getting a single this year since he had more privilege as a sophomore, but he declined. After growing up on the streets looking out for his brother, he felt uncomfortable whenever Bolin was permanently out of sight.

Korra had gotten lucky, as her roommate decided to transfer out of the Academy, leaving an extra space and an empty bed behind.

The freshman galloped down the hill to her friends' community, swiping her pass at the main entrance and running up the stairs like a madwoman. She burst open through the doors, practically hopping around. The two brothers looked up from their game of Pai Sho and at the frazzled mess before them. Korra was starting to lose all self control, and talked at a million miles a minute. "You guys I have a fight today and it's with Asami and I couldn't help her even though I said I would and now I can't find her and how am I supposed to do this in front of the whole school and I don't want to hurt her but-"

Mako took Korra by the shoulders and gave her a hard shake, almost making her drop her toast in the process.

"Snap out of it!" Mako said, snapping his fingers in front of his friend's face. "Focus on me for a minute."

Bolin popped into Korra's peripheral view, gently taking a toast from her hand and placing it into Korra's mouth like a pacifier. Korra slowly chewed.

"Asami, you said?" Mako asked.

Korra nodded ferociously, her lips pursed and chewing.

"How do you know that's who you're up against?" Bolin asked, patting Korra's cheek to remind her to chew and swallow before talking again.

"Kuvira just barged into my freaking room this morning while I was getting dressed," Korra explained. "That's what she said."

"Awkward," Bolin whispered.

After a minute of silence, Mako piped up. "Personally, I find this really easy to get out of,"

"You do?" Korra and Bolin said at the same time.

"Yeah. Just fake it," He said simply.

"What do you mean, just fake it?!" Korra said, becoming hysterical again. "It's not like we can just go in there, throw some punches around, and pretend one of us gets knocked ou- Ohhh," A lightbulb went off, and she smacked her head. "Mako, that's a great idea!"

Mako sat back down and looked at her. "Yeah Korra, and you would have figured that out too, had you just taken a second to collect yourself. You have to seriously think before you act."

Korra made a bit of a pout, looking at the floor, waiting for Mako to continue scolding her.

"That's what got you here in the first place, is it not?" He raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer.

"Yes, I know," the younger girl sighed.

"This is why we don't skip class with you anymore. Sorry, bro." Bolin gave her a light nudge to the shoulder with his fist. "But you kind of get yourself into the wildest situations,"

"Yes okay I get it, thank you," Korra said, her eyes narrowing again. No one had to remind her that it was all her fault for halting the day's classes, interrupting the normal schedule, and getting her new friend stepped on by the underside of Kuvira's shoe.

Now that Korra was effectively calmed, Bolin snatched away her other piece of toast and ate it. "Problem solved! Look at us, being Team Avatar, working together, fighting the good fight." Bolin wrapped his arms around his two friends and pulled them tightly into a group hug.

Korra complied, feeling better after finding out the loophole in the penalty. All it came down to now was making the fight look believable enough.

"Argh, I wish I could go over an actual game plan with Asami, but I don't know where she lives..."

"Just get to the arena early. I'm sure Asami is thinking the same thing and is waiting for you there," Mako said, swiping the uneaten half of Bolin's stolen toast.

"Alright! Let's do this then!" Korra turned around and headed for the door.

"Um, Korra? You have three hours left. Relax and stay with us for a bit," Mako suggested.

She turned around. "Are you guys really playing Pai Sho at this time in the morning? I usually get breakfast and go right back to sleep,"

"Of course you do."

* * *

As the clock neared 11:20, Korra decided to walk over to the arena with Bolin and Mako. She smiled and joked with them like normal, as if thousands of students weren't about to abuse her with their jeering and heckling.

As they entered the arena, students were beginning to pour in, filling in every available seat. Since classes had been moved or cancelled, there was no reason people would not come to see the match.

"Nervous?" Mako asked.

"Not at all," Korra grinned confidently. "I'm going to head to the lockers now to get changed," she said, giving her two friends a thumbs-up, and slinging a pack over her shoulder.

"We'll be rootin' for ya," Bolin said. "Or fake rooting for you, or whatever." He waved as Korra dashed off.

Korra had never fought in the grand arena before. She assumed she'd be allowed to use bending since the most important matches were held here.

She went towards the steps leading underground, and noticed that it split off into two long hallways- one towards the girls' locker room, the other towards the boys'. The halls were completely empty, of course, since only the challengers were allowed down there. Korra walked with a quickened pace, heart pumping fast from adrenaline. She just needed to locate the sophomore, so they could talk this over, and everything would be fine...

 _I just need to find Asami,_ Korra said in her head over and over again as she walked. _I'll just find her, and we'll talk, and it will all be okay.  
_

After a minute, she arrived at a blue door with a women's sign painted over it. Everything sounded so quiet. She took a deep breath in through her nose and pushed open the door, bracing herself for disappointment.

_Please be in here, please be in here, please be in..._

Korra was flooded with relief as soon as she saw those familiar black curls being taken up into a ponytail.

"A-Asami!" Korra almost yelled, skipping across the tiles and slinging her pack down on the bench beside her. "You're here! Oh my goodness... I've been worrying about you all day!"

Asami looked at Korra with a scrunchie held between her teeth. She seemed relatively calm, for a person that was about to fight the Avatar in front of thousands of people.

"Oh yeah? Why?" Was all she managed to say, staring down Korra with her intense green eyes, while pulling the scrunchie around her hair.

"Well, we haven't seen each other since we got back last night, and Kuvira just told me about our match a few hours ago, so..." Korra looked back at her intently, wondering why the older girl wasn't as relieved to see Korra as she was Asami.

"So...," the older girl prodded.

"...So I thought... You were having the same feelings," Korra said, a hint of uneasiness in her voice.

"Oh," Asami said, returning her attention to the things stored in her locker. She pulled out two utility belts and some thinly padded armor.

Confused at Asami's incredibly composed and standoffish disposition, Korra started to backtrack on her previous plan. _Wait a minute... Does she actually want to fight me?_

"I mean… I said I'd get you out of trouble and I didn't. I wanted to look for you today but I had no idea where you lived," Korra said, her words dripping with guilt. She scratched the back of her neck. "I thought we could come up with a plan to figure this out,"

"A plan, hm?" Asami responded curtly, taking her neatly folded battle uniform out of a bag.

_Why is she acting so cold?_

There was still about twenty minutes left before they had to enter the arena. Korra and Asami moved quickly, passing gear in and out of their lockers. The 18-year-old took out a roll of flexible bandages to tape up her chest again. This is how she preferred it, disliking bra straps that dug into her shoulders, restricting her movement. Korra removed her shirt to reveal a well-toned back and front, and as she started unrolling the bandages, she figured she would just pitch her plan to Asami anyway.

"Hey, so hear me out. I was thinking that I could bend a few rocks around, slowly enough so that you could dodge them easily. It doesn't really matter whether you win and I lose, but we've got to make it a show for everybody. Maybe you could throw a few darts at me, or even use that hammer thing I see so many Fire Nation students use. Then you could go for a hit to my stomach and I could pretend-"

Asami threw her bag on the wooden bench and spun around, sharply cutting off Korra and backing her into the lockers behind them.

"Asa…mi?" Korra's eyes became a little larger, looking similar to that of a startled child's.

She had slammed her left hand onto the locker behind Korra, just missing her ear. Korra didn't say a word, surprised at the unexpected force, waiting for a smile to break and for the joke to be over. It never came. "You don't know me very well, do you?" she asked.

She leaned into the younger girl's face, fixated on her. With her free hand, she loosened the collar of her own jacket, then slowly began unzipping it. She put her lips right next to Korra's ear.

 _"But I know quite a bit about you,"_ she breathed, beginning to shrug off her outerwear, then continued to her shirt, unbuttoning it and revealing a camisole beneath.

Korra could feel her hands become clammy and her throat go dry. Asami's threatening outburst was the complete opposite reaction she was expecting. Why wasn't Asami cooperating with her? It was so easy to just pretend they were going to fight!

She squirmed away from Asami's hand. The engineer caught the evasion and swiftly opened the locker on the opposite side of Korra's head, kicking open the bottom locker as well, so that she was completely boxed in. The 18-year-old's gaze was then forced to focus on Asami again.

"Are you underestimating me because you're the Avatar, Korra?" she said, pulling her blouse down.

She turned around and put another shirt on. Korra remained backed against the metal, still in somewhat shock.

"N-no, I was just-!" Korra paused for a moment, her eyes shifting for an answer. _I mean, let's be real here_.

Asami was strong and had won many competitions, but Korra had trained her body to be capable of bending all the elements _and_ other forms of fighting to supplement it. There was no way that Asami had enough muscle or technique to defeat her.

She was taking too long to think of the correct answer. Asami knew it by the girl's shallow but quick rise and fall of her chest. "Holding back on me would be a big mistake, Korra," she warned, her voice dipping into a growl as she said her name again.

She turned back to her previous position over the younger girl, and with her free hand, began unzipping the side of her skirt. She pressed closely to the freshman's body, making the trapped girl produce an involuntary whimper. Asami gently took the roll of bandages from her hand, and began to wrap up Korra's chest for her, starting from the top. "A-Asami! Don't-!"

Her face became flushed as the heiress's hands slowly circled the younger girl's body, pulling the fabric behind her back, then winding it around the front again. Asami's gaze was intent and unashamed as she focused on her work, while Korra's body grew heated with embarrassment, trying to remain still. _Has she always been this tall and forceful?  
_

The engineer tightened the last bind and ripped off the remaining piece of needed tape.

"Don't disappoint me," she said finally, kicking off her stockings and pulling on a more comfortable pair of pants. "Hurry and get changed. Everyone's waiting." She threw her skirt on Korra's face and walked out of the locker room.

* * *

As the two girls entered the arena, the crowd's roaring went insane. Korra circled around and looked for Kuvira, and saw her sitting in a closed off area reserved for faculty, the highest seats in the house. She was talking to Bataar.

"You can't do this, Kuvira!" Korra yelled loudly and directly, getting her attention. "It's not a fair fight!"

Asami turned around and glared. "Alright, now you're just insulting me," The sophomore said, hooking on her two utility belts and strapping on some headgear with a protective shield for her eyes. "Guess you'll just have to be taught another lesson then," a playful look returned to Asami's face.

Korra and Asami met at the middle of the ring, and shook hands. Asami squeezed her hand with a death grip, confirming Korra's earlier suspicions. This girl was serious about fighting at a hundred percent.

"Asami, why are you-" Korra was cut off by the loud buzzer, signaling the start of the match. Crap.

Immediately, Asami jumped back and pulled out three stiletto blades, keeping them between her knuckles. She ran around Korra at a breakneck pace, and the crowd was already going wild. Korra's eyes widened at how quickly she had disappeared from her view, already behind her.

 _Holy shit, she's fast!_ Korra thought, jumping in every direction opposite of the path Asami was taking. _What the heck does she think she's doing? She's going to tire out if she puts that much energy into her running speed-!_

Korra observed the non-bender's face. It was expressionless again, except for a small squint that allowed her to focus on her moving target. She didn't look like she was breaking a sweat at all.

There were artificial trenches dug throughout the arena to simulate streams. Korra had the option of using any of the elements, and she decided water would be the least aggressive thing to work with. She first kicked at the ground in succession, bumping up small pieces of the surface to trip up her opponent, but Asami deftly jumped over each little block. She skidded under the splash of water Korra struck at her face in an attempt to make her eye shield murky. The non-bender jumped, spinning smoothly, sending the two stiletto blades in her hand towards the Avatar, which she easily dodged.

However, Korra was sloppy and didn't catch the last one as it thinly sliced through her armband and skin.

"Agh!" she winced in pain, clutching her arm for a few seconds. She raised her hands to retaliate, but noticed a strange tingling in her tricep. She stopped, looking at the wound and then at the blade that fell beside her. A shiny purple liquid was leaking off the edges.

There was no mistaking it. It was poison.

The fight was being broadcast to a larger screen in the center of the stadium to capture every detail. It zoomed in on the oozing wound from Korra's right arm and went to her strained facial expression.

A hushed "ooh-ing" befell the crowd, surprised at the first hit being drawn so quickly, and so cruelly, at that.

From the bleachers, Mako and Bolin watched her closely.

"That seems pretty...dangerous for a fake throw," Mako said in a concerned voice.

"Maybe the poison isn't actually fatal?" Bolin said hopefully.

Mako shook his head. "No, look at the way Korra is reacting. She's actually hesitating. They didn't plan this at all, and Korra is definitely hurt."

 _Okay, that's it, she asked for it._ Korra said to herself. _She wants to go full force? Fine, let's play!_

The audience looked on for Korra's response. She breathed in deeply, flexing her powerful chest like a lion, proudly using its superior body to bring down prey. She brought two fists together in a scooping motion. The earth trembled beneath her as she cut open the ground, raising five boulders as big as the new Satomobiles. Hurling her knuckles forward, she established her dominance, one rock flying after the other.

Asami glided in a horizontal line as Korra tried to clobber her down. She weaved in and out of the oncoming attacks, raising her hands above her head and moving her torso just enough for the boulders to miss their target. Korra's push and Asami's pull movements were almost in perfect synchronization. She practically had the grace of a bender herself.

"Strength isn't what's going to win you this fight, Korra," Asami called out.

Korra willfully ignored her pointers, continuing to establish an offensive position. She consistently went back to depending on the aggressive force of the earth, ripping out gigantic masses from the crust and beating a closed fist at the air, launching her attacks in the same direction. Asami seemed to be dodging them easier by the minute. The bigger the rock, the harder they were to move.

Korra dipped her hand in the air and waved it into a cyclone motion towards the older girl. As soon as Asami caught drift of this familiar hand work, she detached a large metal hook from her belt, ripping it out from its stationary site. The reel made a _whirring_ noise as it was being released, and she stabbed the floor beneath her, harnessing the pointed end into the ground so that she didn't get blown away. It proved to be successful, as dirt and water whirled around her in a frenzy.

Asami's engineering class cheered, seeing the fruition of all their technology come to highly efficient use.

 _"Heh,"_ Asami smirked and looked up at Korra, both exchanging competitive glances.

She jumped up, the cable allowing her to remain hooked while riding the dying circle of wind, letting more stiletto blades laced with toxin rain down on the bender.

Korra kicked the blades away with her boot and caught the last one, spinning it back into the air-borne girl.

"Nice," Asami muttered under her breath, ducking, and she hit the ground running.

Korra knitted her brows together and in a mix of concentration and fury, lifted a three-hundred-pound boulder from the ground, hurling it at Asami's nimble frame. Again, she dodged it with a dash and back flip, then tossed two projectile bombs at her. Korra moved out of the way, but they followed her direction.

_Heat sensitive discs too?!_

Seeing Korra beginning to loose her cool already, Asami shouted to her teasingly. "Did I mention I'm also the top ranking weapons specialist, two years in a row?"

Korra quickly shielded herself with a sheet of rock, the bombs exploding with a liter of paint. _This is ridiculous! I should be the one making her go on the defensive!  
_

Asami raced towards her, retracting the metal hook with a push of a button.

Korra stomped the surface, a row of rectangular blocks bursting up from the floor, each growing in height, trying to halt her movement. Instead, Asami hopped on each of them like steps, then launched off the highest one like a springboard, somersaulting and bringing down a crushing heel. Korra stood her ground, sending a gush of flame into the air, trying to smolder her.

Unaffected by the fire, her weight came crashing and smashed into the standing girl's skull, eliciting an ugly cracking sound. "Ugh!" Korra spat, getting knocked over on the floor and inhaling dust.

As the smoke cleared, she saw Asami walk towards her without a single burn on her cloth armor.

"She's wearing a chemically treated, heat-resistant fiber," Kuvira mused. "How clever. Now she's immune to one of the elements,"

Baatar nodded, silently taking note of the observation.

Korra, still laying on her side, sliced the air with her arm just hovering above the ground. She pushed forward a wave of wind, blowing Asami off her feet. Finally able to send the non-bender up in the air, she opened the ground as she landed, quickly enclosing her entire body in rock. _"_ _Got you."_

She jumped up and ran towards Asami, looking to give a flying kick to the head, aiming to blow her helmet off.

Asami managed to flick a finger against a controller strapped to her upper thigh, letting a fast beeping ensue.

As Korra was about to come in for the kick, a small explosion erupted, sending bits of rock flying in all directions and blinding the Avatar as Asami broke free.

Back in the bleachers, Mako stroked his chin in high interest. "That's pretty amazing. She sure has trained to get all her bases covered as a non-bender," he said, very impressed.

Bolin nodded. "I hate to admit it, but I think they're evenly matched right now,"

Mako paused. "Asami's really pretty too, isn't she? Do you think I should ask her out?"

Bolin smacked his older sibling on the arm. "Mako!"

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna ask her out after this," he said, mostly to himself.

Korra was knocked down on all fours and panting. _Damn... it's been twenty minutes and I haven't gotten a scratch on her... Fire will be ineffective, and she just dodges all the other bending I throw at her. It's slowing me down. Looks like we'll have to do this the old fashioned way._

Korra jumped back to her feet and steadied her stance, one slightly curled-in hand placed in front of the other. She focused in on her target's face.

Her opponent readied her stance again as well, switching her feet twice and torquing her hips.

Korra often sparred with Mako and Bolin, as they had more realistic street fighting styles compared to the polished technique of other ancient arts. But would it be enough for Asami's well trained, technical approach?

"Show me what you've got, Korra!" Asami yelled, coming in for a straight punch.

Bolin always told Korra to keep her eyes on the face of her opponent to detect where an attack would come from, every place on the body having an equal amount of attention using her peripherals.

Mako, however, often emphasized scanning the body first to make sure a stranger wasn't hiding anything, especially the hands, which could conceal a weapon. Asami hadn't made another reach for her belt, though, so Korra concentrated on her face.

Korra waited for Asami to get in close enough. Rather than go on the defensive again, she readied her own hand to give the strongest punch she could just to knock Asami off balance, even if that meant taking a hit herself.

Asami's power was in her ability to practically dance around the bending that tried to hold her still. Her agility had to be interrupted to allow any real damage to be sustained.

Asami was just beginning to land her fist into Korra's cheek, when Korra swooped in slightly more to the left and delivered a hard blow, clocking the Sato girl right in the side of the head. The impact was so forceful, Asami went flying a little ways in one direction and tumbled to the ground. Up until that point, Korra hadn't gotten one hit in yet, so she had to make this first one count. She curled her hands, swooping them over to one side, bringing the earth around Asami's wrists and ankles over, strapping her down in spread-eagle position.

Korra couldn't afford to show any mercy at this point, and aimed to finish this once and for all. She gathered all her strength into one more punch, zoning in on her exposed front area this time- there was no way the armor Asami wore would cushion the blow well enough. This was all she needed. One concentrated strike to the diaphragm would be enough to render her unable to fight. She ran, pushing herself off the ground with a gust of wind, allowing her to gain more momentum.

She came down, her fist aiming for that vulnerable spot, nothing else mattering. She could see Asami lay there still, her eyes squeezed shut, recovering from the previous blow. Just as she was about to inflict the fatal hit, Asami's eyes opened slightly. Her jade eyes followed Korra, and a small smile traced her lips. Korra gasped, her focus thrown off guard, and punched the ground just beside her. It left huge dents in the floor, the tremors making its way completely under Asami, giving her enough wiggle room to slip out of her holds.

She shimmied her hands and legs into the trench that had formed beneath her, and like an acrobat, flipped back to a fighting stance.

 _Dammit. I had her! I fucking had her,_ Korra cursed at herself. She looked up at Asami who seemed to enjoy the effect of her mind games on the younger girl's sanity. "What are you doing, Asami? I thought we were friends," she asked, questioning her uncharacteristic apathy.

Asami shook her head. "Korra, you'll have to realize that when you grow up, there will be many hard decisions you'll have to make."

She flipped open a pocket on her second utility belt. "Sometimes, you'll be forced to hurt the people you love," she said while pulling out a small rod, about a finger's length.

"And sometimes, you'll even have lie to them because your duty requires you to," she flicked the switch on the side of the rod, flipping open a thin but razor sharp blade. "But whatever you decide to do, Korra," she said, adjusting her position and kicking her heel into the dirt,

"Don't you _ever_ do it halfheartedly,"

She grunted, and ran towards the shorter girl. Korra broke off a piece of earth, shaping it into a dagger and using it to block all the slashes from the sophomore with magnificent countering speed. She smashed the rock into Asami's hand, knocking the blade out of it. "What is that supposed to mean?!" Korra said, lacing her fingers with Asami's, then pulling her to interlock with the other open palm as well."You're being... You're being confusing as hell!"

It was like an elementary school game of Mercy, as she wrestled with the non-bender now.

Asami looked down at the younger girl. "I like you a lot, Korra." She pulled Korra even closer in, then twisted her elbow around so that Korra's own was bent upwards.

"Ack!" Korra felt her shoulder knot painfully.

She fought back, regaining control by crushing Asami's hands hard, making her lithe fingers cease its resistance from her pure strength. Asami yelped, yielding to the pain. Korra turned around, bending her wrists backwards. She pressed downward so that Asami began to kneel from the pressure.

Bad move. Asami was an expert at ground fighting and she lay down, pulling Korra on top and kicking her feet into her hips. Korra was lifted off the ground and did a somersault, now leaving Asami to straddle her and give her the advantage again. "You're uncompromising, and you make rash decisions." She put a knee into Korra's abdomen, right on the solar plexus. Korra cried out in discomfort, causing her breathing to struggle and let go of the grip. "You've got this... _amazing_ raw power... But you need to learn to take responsibility for your actions."

Korra looked up at the broadcasting stream, wondering briefly if people were reading Asami's lips. But the screen just showed the back of Asami's head and Korra trying to push her knee off. "I can help you, you know, become a better Avatar." Asami was engaging Korra in conversation now, looking intently at the pinned girl. She smiled a little as loose strands of hair began to spill over her face. "Let's be good friends, okay?"

Korra looked up at her. Asami held the eye contact, leading Korra to believe she was actually asking her. Korra pushed her pelvis up, rolled onto her side and crunched in and away while pushing the offending knee off her chest. "Argh!"

The younger girl scrambled to her feet, careful not to be pulled to the ground again. Help her become a better Avatar?

The engineer reached around behind her belt, spinning two rolls of cables but holding back her throw.

The audience had become silent once more, wondering what their next move was.

To no one's surprise, Korra decided to act first without thinking. As soon as she stuck her fist out to earthbend, Asami quickly whipped forward a cable, looping it around her wrist, dragging her around like a rag doll.

Korra gritted her teeth and stomped, overpowering Asami with just her muscled arm. She used her free hand to swipe again at her captor, but Asami caught that wrist in a twist of rope too. Before Korra could even think of her next step, Asami let go of the cables and pulled out her last weapon from her utility belt.

"Sorry, Korra. You were too rash, once again. It's over." With one tap of the tazer at the unsealed part of the cable, she turned Korra's restraints into an electroshock weapon, immediately sending an agonizing current to her prisoner, causing her body to spasm and lose control.

Korra cried out in shock and pain, her veins and arteries feeling as though they were about to burst.

The engineer didn't hold the tazer a second longer than she needed to, as Asami just wanted her incapacitated.

Korra fell to her knees, her body wiped out in surrender, and passed out as the crowd roared at the epic conclusion of the match.

* * *

As soon as Korra collapsed to the floor, Asami unbuckled her belts, letting them fall to her ankles. She rushed over to the unconscious girl, immediately regretting what she had done.

"Korra!"

Asami knew she didn't taze her even close to a dangerous voltage, but the girl was going to be in extreme pain once she woke up. She hadn't intended to end the fight with such an excruciating technique. However, she had been caught off guard, instinctively completing the attack once she got a hold of her opponent.

She immediately pulled at the cables, unwinding them from her wrists, and put the younger girl's head in her lap.

"And there you have it folks! Second year Asami Sato, at only 19 years of age, has already won her 11th competition!" An announcer said over a booming mic.

The crowd thundered with cheers and claps, but Asami stayed kneeling at Korra's side as the medics rushed to the scene.

She bit her lip, caressing the girl's wounds.

The crowd's shouts and yells became a hum of background noise as she replayed the scene just minutes earlier. She ignored the congratulations, aware that no one knew what was going through either of their minds during the exchange of punches and kicks. It was all just a game to them.

When Korra had her pinned down and vulnerable, she thought she was going to lose right then and there. She was sure of it when she saw that fierce look of determination on the girl's face, as she came charging with her fist forward, holding all her might.

 _I love that expression,_ she had thought, laying there in defeat.

That's why she had smiled earnestly.

It was the realization, that after all her years of being alone in her skills and interests, she had finally found someone to look up to.

_Finally._

She knew, at that very moment, Korra was the friend that she had been unknowingly searching for all her life. Someone to train with, win battles with, to laugh and cry with. That's why she could admit defeat with a smile on her face, even if she lost her hard earned titles and reputation to one match.

The medics carefully lifted the bruised and beaten girl onto the stretcher, hauling her off to the school's hospital.

Asami got up and stood still, looking on as her friend was transported to a safe place.

"Hold on, Korra. You'll be just fine."


	5. Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flashbacks have been noted with [brackets] instead of italics to allow easy reading.

**[One year ago]**

**[** "What do you think happens after all of this?" Korra asked Tenzin, who appeared in her doorway just moments ago. She was stationed at the windowsill, her usual spot for thinking.

It was only a few days before her high school graduation ceremony. Things were happening pretty quickly, and the feeling of everything coming to an end was starting to get to her. She had spent the last week mostly by herself, walking around parts of Republic City late at night, avoiding calls from Mako and Bolin to hang out. She was still immature in this way, she supposed; if she ignored the present, perhaps the future could be prevented from happening as well.

Tenzin gave her a tender look, sensing some gloom in her voice. "Quite a lot. You're only just starting your life."

Korra sighed. She wondered how that was possible. Being seventeen and seeing all the young, doe-eyed, soon-to-be-freshman kids take a tour of her school made her feel unbelievably old.

"It feels like I should be going on a permanent vacation," she said, almost sulking.

Originally, she was excited for the new challenges she'd be facing if she chose to go to college. More battles, more techniques to add to her already stunning repertoire. But those feelings of enthusiasm faded more each day as graduation came closer and closer. It wasn't that she was opposed to change; it's just that she felt like she was in such a good place right now. Being comfortable in her school and transitioning out of it to a completely different routine was daunting, now that it was about to become her reality. She thought she'd have her life sorted out by this time.

The middle-aged man chuckled a bit, remembering what it was like to be young and a teenager again. "You know, contrary to the shows and movers you kids watch these days, life still goes on after high school."

"Yeah, it sucks," Korra said, putting her arms on her knees and huddling herself. "But I guess everyone needs a fresh start whether they loved or hated it, right?"

"Exactly, Korra." Tenzin said, adjusting his robe. "Believe it or not, high school will be a very small part of your life. There are many, many more things to experience and achieve after that."

Korra kept looking out the window. "Hm."

"And whether you like it or not, it will be up to you to decide how you want to change your future. I think you should look forward to it."

"I guess. But my destiny was already chosen for me as the Avatar, wasn't it?"

"Well, you have many options," The airbending master said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You can stay with me and the family on Air Temple Island, and train here full time. You can join up with the police force in Republic City as a part time job. Or, you can go on to college and learn even more about the world."

"I think I want to go on to college," she said right away, but without much emotion.

"I think that's a great idea, Korra," he said, allowing his arm to rest at his side now. Korra didn't say anything. He eyed the girl more carefully, noticing her lackluster expression.

"Remember, you don't have to force yourself if you don't want to. It's not for everybody." He leaned against the frame beside her, and joined her in gazing out the window. "It will be an entirely different experience than high school. You won't know everyone, and there will be a lot of different people. It can get quite lonely and the path you take may prove to become too difficult to handle at times," he warned.

Korra looked at him. "You never went to college, Tenzin."

"I did, for a year, actually. Before I realized I couldn't split my attention equally between becoming an airbending master, and doing well in school. Kya and Bumi went to college too, and they often wrote me letters," he said. "Whenever they wrote to me about a struggle they were going through, I noticed that we all came from a similar place during those dark times,"

Korra said nothing still, wondering what could possibly be so different.

School was just school after all, right?

"Luckily for your generation, though, more institutions that cater to a mix of training and regular classes are becoming available. These schools prime your abilities to bend and fight at your full potential, while giving you the option of taking normal courses. So you can get the instruction and practice you need with people among your age group."

The 17-year-old nodded, rubbing her arm a little while she thought. "Okay then. Any suggestions?"

"I was hoping you'd ask. Have you ever heard of the Academy?"

"No, what is that?"

"It's not a normal college, but it's like one. Only the best students in their field are recommended to the administration who run it. It's mainly passed around through word of mouth, as having the right connections is the only way to be permitted to take the admissions test. It's not open to the general public." He motioned over to the mountains that lay beyond the city. "The students there are the eyes and ears of the nation. They train, they graduate, and they go out into the world and dispense justice in a slightly more subtle manner than the regular police."

Korra wrinkled her nose, not understanding. "Subtle?"

"It's not the best idea to have only one system that maintains order. The Academy is almost like their own sort of law enforcement. They investigate things on a case by case basis. You are qualified to pass the same judgments on a criminal like a police officer is."

He looked over at Korra to see if she was following. "It's kind of like a cross between vigilante and systemic justice. Of course, since you're the Avatar, you sometimes get to make those decisions anyway... But the teaching style there is unique, to say the least."

Korra rubbed her chin, liking the sound of a structure that didn't seem too rigid with how it taught its students. She bet the police training Lin Beifong went through was much more stiff and one sided.

"Okay. That sounds like a good place to hone my skills. Can we take a tour?"

"Sure. Why don't we go this weekend? Meet me bright and early this Saturday," he said, getting up and walking away from her. He stopped at the door, deciding to offer her one last piece of advice. "For once, I'm going to tell you not to think about this too much, Korra. If you bog yourself down with doubts and fears about the future, you'll never be able to make the decisions that are true to yourself."

"And how can I stop myself from doing that?"

The older man smiled knowingly. "To keep doing what you've always done. To trust in yourself."

Korra stayed sitting at the window sill, wondering why life only seemed to grow more complicated as she got older. **]**

* * *

After Korra was carried away to the hospital, Asami had collapsed a few minutes later from exhaustion. The trauma dealt to her head left her feeling quite numb and then overwhelmingly nauseous. She eventually was taken to the same room as Korra, and was allowed to recuperate there for the rest of the day.

It was eight at night when she finally awoke. Turning to the small nightstand beside her, she noticed that the meal left there was still fresh. The soup was steaming, and the bread, fluffy. She figured someone must have dropped off dinner recently. The tray next to Korra's bed remained untouched. The girl was still in a deep slumber after all this time.

It only took a few hours of uninterrupted bed rest and some hot food for the sophomore to feel somewhat normal again, minus the deep throbbing. Asami appreciated the generous loaf she received, breaking it off piece by piece and letting it sit in the clear broth. She brought the tastily soaked bread to her lips and scarfed it down. She continued this pattern for five minutes until she had finished everything.

Stretching, she let out a satiated sigh. After a workout she normally would be craving something with lots of meat and vegetables. Maybe a stew of some sort, to replenish her lost energy levels.

Since she was still experiencing some dizziness, however, her stomach was unable to hold anything heavier than the applesauce. Tentatively, the engineer crawled out of bed and changed back into her old clothes. The hospital gown they put her in was too thin to keep her warm from the absurdly strong draft in the room.

She made a note of this, finding that it would be worth mentioning to her father. The school still had some kinks to work out with the construction, and he could help with it.

Asami shuddered, walking out of her dark room to see who else was awake. The hallways were brightly lit, and it stung her eyes, causing her quickly to backpedal. After looking at the floor and blinking out a few stray tears, she tried again. She slipped on her boots and tip toed quietly along the hall. Most of the rooms had their blinds open and were empty inside, as expected. There was no reason for there to be people with injuries severe enough to warrant an overnight stay at the hospital. At least, not until the second set of midterms rolled around near late April.

Still feeling worn out, she returned to her bed after scanning her surroundings once more. She didn't expect there would be anything different at the end of the hallway that she didn't already find in the beginning. As she lay back down on the firm mattress, she remembered that there was the option of going back to the campus apartments where she could rest much more comfortably. But the thought ended up passing very quickly, as she was resolute in staying with Korra. After all, she was the one responsible for her injuries. She closed her eyes, willing herself back to sleep.

* * *

It was around seven in the morning when Asami rose out of bed, putting a chair next to the younger girl and observing her while she lightly snored in her sleep.

She grabbed something from the mini freezer, placing it directly on her own tender spot. The deep throb had decreased into a dull ache but it remained a nuisance.

"Ow," Asami hissed, adjusting a stinging icepack on her skull. She would need another towel to wrap it with.

Time seemed to move even slower as she became aware of the ticking clock in the room. The morning sunlight gradually made its way in, pooling at the blankets near Korra's midsection. The sophomore lay her head next to Korra's stomach, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest. It reminded her how vulnerable people could be when they weren't awake.

Asami's thoughts were in a hopeless blur. So much had occurred over the past two days, she couldn't keep up. When would they have the time to talk about the Diamond flowers with Tenzin? How would they plan an investigation without being caught? They hadn't even had a chance to sit down and talk about all of this as a group. Asami still wasn't too close with Mako and Bolin, and had been waiting for them to come around to her on their own time. After this battle, though, she was sure she'd have to be taking more initiative to become friends with everyone.

The only thing that made sense right now was for Asami to be as close as possible to Korra. She reached out to touch the girl's face, wanting to comfort her. Asami smiled wryly, knowing that the physical connection was mostly for herself. She was happy Mako and Bolin weren't there; she could selfishly touch Korra all she liked. Her fingers floated above the sleeping face. She hesitated for only a second, but decided it would be highly unlikely for Korra to wake up now if she hadn't done so before already.

The back of her hand descended, gliding smoothly over her dark features, admiring how soft she looked while resting. She found herself wishing for Korra to open her crystal blue eyes, to complete the picture of her perfectly unique face. She traced a finger along the jawline, her white hand starkly bright in contrast to the calm evening shade of the younger girl. She noticed how dramatically different the Avatar looked when her defenses were down; it was almost as if her age changed with what she was doing or saying.

A dozing Korra looked like a young teenager who didn't have a care in the world aside from eating and sleeping. A fighting Korra looked years older, like an experienced soldier. And a cheerful, triumphant Korra looked naively childish, as her grin often rounded out her happy cheeks.

Asami briefly wondered how long she had been noticing all these things about her friend, when something made her snap out of her pleasant musings.

She heard a jarring _clank_ of footsteps. Long, deliberate strides came down the hallway, signaling the omniscient presence of a commander.

Kuvira entered the room shortly after. She was in her usual earth kingdom-themed garb; a formfitting, forest green long-sleeve jacket with metal strips going down each arm and thick bands at the cuffs and tips of her knee high boots. Always standing straight. Always with her chest out, as if daring someone to attack her.

Asami's eyes narrowed and she stood up defensively, dropping her icepack on the seat and raising an arm slightly.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, instinctively hovering over Korra.

The older woman smirked at the hostile greeting. "A bit overprotective, coming from the person who electrocuted her, don't you think?"

Asami's brows furrowed, her lip curled in protest at the jab, but she remained levelheaded.

"I didn't have any other options," she responded. "One of us had to fall. Why drag on a fight when you suddenly get into a position to end it?"

"Nicely worded choice of reasoning," the older woman said. She gave Asami a once-over, as if thinking about something else.

"What do you want, anyway?" Asami unclenched her fist and sat back down, seeing that Kuvira had no intention of hurting Korra further.

"I just wanted to congratulate you on your win, Miss Sato. I was quite impressed with your use of all the tools from the engineering class,"

"...Right," Asami scoffed in response. What was she supposed to do, thank her?

Seeing that Asami wasn't one for small talk with her enemies, Kuvira cut to the chase. "When the Avatar wakes, you can let her know I dropped by to say that her penalty is over, and that she can return to my class once she feels capable enough to do so."

Asami had stopped looking at Kuvira, no longer deeming her worthy of acknowledgement.

"I'm giving you a free pass to skip your classes tomorrow as well," Kuvira said.

"I'll be there for them," Asami said gruffly. "As I'm already behind for taking today off,"

"I suggest you take my generous offer and stay at home tomorrow," Kuvira said, her authoritative tone increasing slightly. "Before you have even more special ideas about gallivanting around with the Avatar, and end up in this situation again,"

"I said I'll _be_ there for them!" Asami shot back, jerking her chair across the floor. It's not like she had any classes with Kuvira, anyway.

She hated the woman. For just skipping out on one appointment, she left two girls bleeding and bruised without even laying a finger on them. She could take her 'generosity' and go shove it somewhere else.

Kuvira closed her eyes and smiled, conceding. She ended the meeting by throwing a business card on the bed. "We're always in search for brilliant minds," she said vaguely. "Baatar suggested I give you this. Reach out when you have to make a decision one day,"

Asami made no attempt to respond or look at the the object until Kuvira had walked out of the room.

When she could no longer hear her distant footsteps, Asami slowly reached for the white card, turning it over. In a simple gold font, it read, **A M O N**. She brought it closer to her face. A room number in the same color and font was placed directly under it. She recognized the abbreviation, **NLT**. It stood for one of the campus' buildings, the North Library Tower.

Asami's face twisted in confusion. _Is this the name of a club or something?_ No, that didn't seem like it. She read through the roster of clubs thoroughly each semester, as she was always scanning for new ones to join that would be helpful to her as a future business owner. She'd never come across one with this title before.

_Perhaps this is the name of someone who teaches here._

She flipped the card back and forth once more to make sure she didn't miss anything. What was the point of printing out a business card if there was no more information on it? There wasn't even a tagline with a description or a phone number.

_I guess the room number is this person's office... Why would Kuvira give me this...?_

As she lifted the ice to her head once more and slipped the card into her pocket, Korra mumbled, starting to toss and turn in her bed.

Asami froze, wondering if the conversation with Kuvira had interrupted her sleep. She waited to see what she should do. After another few seconds of watching the younger girl thrash around a little without waking up, she gently patted her shoulder. "Korra… Korra, you're having a bad dream. Wake up."

"Huh?" Korra opened her eyes, looking at Asami first, then at her surroundings, her brain trying to register what it was seeing after being away from the physical world for so long.

Her vision slowly began to clear as she took in Asami's appearance. Her hair was disheveled, and she held an icepack over the side where Korra had delivered a devastating punch. Korra tried to move again, only this time her consciousness allowed her to feel the terrible aching her muscles developed from getting tazed the previous day.

"How… how long have I been out?" Korra asked, feebly. Her eyes were starting to adjust to the light.

"Just a night."

"You stayed with me?" Korra asked, noticing that Asami hadn't changed out of the uniform she had worn during the match.

"Yeah, of course." She gently brushed a hand above Korra's eyes, lifting up her side bangs.

"Asami, I..." Korra seemed to struggle with what she was trying to say. "I wanted to ask you…"

Asami looked at her. "What is it?"

"Were you…speaking from experience?" Korra's ribs felt like they had been kicked in a hundred times. "When you said… that you'd lie to someone, even if you loved them, because it was your duty."

Asami drew back her hand from Korra's sweating forehead. "I was." She looked away, then back at the girl lying weakly on the bed. "It's not important right now, though. You should eat something and go back to sleep."

Korra didn't pry further. She just looked at the raven-haired sophomore standing before her, focusing all her attention on her.

It was as if the Avatar woke up from her dream for the express purpose of informing Asami of something.

"Don't do it," Korra mumbled, her eyes having a hard time opening and closing. "Don't ever do it."

Asami looked at her questioningly. Korra's dreams seemed to be getting the better of her. "Do what?"

"You don't ever have to lie to me," Korra said, drifting back into unconsciousness for the rest of the day, plagued by visions of the past.

* * *

**[2 months prior to graduation]**

**[** "Haha! Alright!" Korra said, an assertive smile fixed on her lips as she ran at light speed around the training grounds.

All throughout high school she had placed at the top of her class in bending and non-bending combat practice. There was no way she'd lose the last match of all her finals.

She sped down the border, her hands in their usual open-palmed fashion as they chopped the air at her sides. With each bolt, her elbows swung all the way up above her rib cage, putting as much effort forth as her knees as she went. Her shoulders were built, like a linebacker's, taking all the grit from the sheer force of her movement, ready to collide with anyone who got in her way.

She grinned, loving the feeling of wind rushing past her face as she claimed her rightful throne, once last time as a senior.

 _This school is mine,_ she thought, her smirk ever present, springing into the air and shooting potent blazes of fire at her adversary. "Is that all you've got, pretty boy?"

The person she was racing against was a guy named Tahno, another senior who was a pro-bending rival outside of school.

Tahno grit his teeth, lunging forth dangerously fast with a whip of water. Korra dodged it again, exhibiting the agility of a cheetah. The freshman girls and boys hung their mouths open, all developing a crush on the confident Avatar.

She was like a peacock, enjoying the attention aimed at her display of physical prowess. The freshmen watched her with awe, especially the girls, seeing her as a prodigy of female athletes everywhere. She had it all: gorgeous glowing skin, long arms and legs, a powerful jawline. And a killer smile to boot. There was nothing unappealing about her. Every stride and swing exhibited her mastery of the elements and the culmination of techniques learned in class. There was nothing that could take her down. Nothing.

Korra lunged at the boy, making his thoughts race with curses. _'This damn bitch-'_

Caught off guard, he flipped backwards but landed in an awkward semi-crouch. Her smirk grew wider, catching his mistake. She dropped to the floor and swept him with a swish of inferno, throwing him back on the ground. She rapidly tackled him, pinning him to the floor with a forearm to the neck, a knee to the arm, and a hand trapping his other wrist. He flailed momentarily, their strength difference obvious. Tahno may have been a great bender, but it was useless if he couldn't move his arms or take in a breath.

The timer beeped, and Korra immediately jumped in the air, throwing her arms up in triumph. "Woo-hoo! Last final!"

She unstrapped her helmet and held it against her hip, happily meeting her friends at the center. She couldn't wait to go on to college and improve at an even more accelerated rate. Bolin and Mako came down from the benches with their palms held up high. She gave both their hands a hard smack, then embraced them with an enthusiastic hug.

"Alright Korra, the girl who never loses her steam!" Bolin grinned, his two pointer fingers aimed at her.

"Reigning champ four years in a row, not bad," Mako said, deserving a hit on the shoulder. Mako was already a freshman at the Academy. He happened to be on summer break, just in time for Bolin and Korra's finals.

Korra put her arms around both their necks and gave a strong pull so that their faces squished together.

"This is going to be _so_ great! I can't believe we're all going to reunite in the Academy together after this!" She let go and spun around.

"Yeah, yeah," Mako said, ruffling her sweaty hair lightly. "But remember, it's not all fun and games. I don't even have time to practice pro-bending anymore."

"I mean, sure, we won't be able to do the same things as often as we do now... But that's because we're going to learn so many new ways to kick ass in college, isn't that right?!" she said as she looked up at the sky, welcoming the sun that beat down on her face. She felt optimistic, passionate even, about what the future held in store for her.

Mako laughed. "Yes, that is one thing you're totally right about," he unwrapped the red scarf around his neck and loosened his jacket. It was getting uncomfortable to be standing around outside for too long. "Well, both of you are now done with your finals. Why don't we go grab something to eat?"

Bolin and Korra nodded enthusiastically in agreement, linking their arms and skipping behind Mako in a silly fashion.

There was only one word to describe how Korra was feeling at the the time, and how she imagined her future self to be. And that was:

Unstoppable. **]**

* * *

True to her words, Asami attended class the next morning. When she came back in the late afternoon, Korra was wide awake and looking much healthier.

She had recovered much faster over the day, as a waterbending expert was brought in to take care of her wounds, free of charge.

Bolin and Mako stood over her talking, while the bender did her job patiently. The woman had a bucket of cold water next to her as her hands circled around Korra's twisted shoulder. Asami paused, wondering if she should also ask the woman for a quick patch up, but nothing felt too bad anymore except for a very mild headache.

"We came to see you as soon as the fight was over, but they were pretty adamant about us not staying for long," said Mako.

"Yeah, we showed all forms of student identification, but they wouldn't grant us more than a piddly fifteen minutes." Bolin explained. "I even showed Pabu, who's with me in my school ID, see?" he flashed the card next to his face. His fire ferret crawled out of his jacket and climbed on his shoulder, imitating the pose from the photo.

"And you were asleep, so that wasn't much use to us," Mako said. "Don't really know why security is so tight around here."

"Sorry, that's partly because of the new rule my father enforced," Asami chimed in, walking into the room coolly and setting her bag down. She leaned against the wall with her arms folded.

The boys were surprised to see her back again so soon. Bolin backed away from her a little bit, looking at her differently than before.

Asami let out a small sigh, noticing the slight increase in distance she created. "The Academy has been getting more popular in recent years, and so we've been taking extra precautions here at the hospital. It ensures that patients, in their weakened state, won't be harmed by visitors who might end up not being students," she explained. "After all, some important people go here, as you can see for yourself. In this very room, the four of us have reputations that precede us. Two famous pro-benders, the Avatar, and the daughter of Hiroshi Sato." She spoke without making eye contact with anyone.

She looked up, remembering why she came back in the first place. After taking a few moments to rustle around the contents in her bag, she pulled out a few snacks. "Here, I brought these for you and I have some extra," she said, handing two sweetbreads to Korra, and then one each for Mako and Bolin.

Bolin, like a child, regained his trust in her immediately. He ripped off the wrapper and took a big bite out of the dough. "Mmm, sho gud."

Mako took the bread, tasting a piece and then deciding it was overly sugared. "You were amazing out there," he said a little too quickly, earning a scowl from Korra.

The firebender pulled at his shirt collar. "Uh, what I mean to say was, you _both_ were really amazing, and people just won't stop talking about the match,"

"Aw, really? It's been two days," Korra said, slumping. She could only assume that they weren't all good things, especially since she lost. The waterbender motioned for Korra to sit up straight again so that she could finish.

"And I was really surprised with you especially, Asami," Mako said, turning to her again and trying to act as cool and friendly as possible. "I've never had the time to attend a tournament till now, so it was a first for me to watch you fight. I've honestly never seen a nonbender use so much comprehensive knowledge about bending to counter it. You used your head more than actual physical force, and it worked so well,"

Asami smiled, thanking him. "Korra was a very tough opponent to deal with. I won by chance, when she didn't second guess her next move."

She looked over at Korra, who looked back at her and then at the ground. She must have been thinking about the fight, as she didn't seem to know where to focus her attention either. Asami continued, "I'm not really sure how I would have won had she not given me her arm. It's an admirable trait, to have such confidence in one's self when going for the next step,"

The noise of rippling water slowly ceased. "Thanks," Korra said to the woman who was done fixing her. She gave her muscles a flex, feeling good as new. The debilitating soreness in all her joints were gone.

Bolin spoke up between mouthfuls of bread. "So what the heck happened out there, anyway? You guys looked like you were going for each other's throats, legit battling to the death!" He took a last bite, finishing the pastry. "Me and Mako almost thought you guys were fighting for real!"

Both Korra and Asami's eyes widened briefly, each inwardly questioning the other girl's intentions again. An awkward silence enveloped the room.

After a few more stifling seconds of tension, Bolin swallowed, then looked up. "Oh, oops... Was I not supposed to say that?"

"It's fine," Korra waved a hand in front of her face, her expression just looking tired. "Thanks for visiting, you guys. Asami and I need some time to talk. I've been out for a while."

"Alright, we'll give you some space. We just wanted to check on how you were doing. If you need anything, let us know," Mako said.

"See you in class tomorrow?" Bolin asked hopefully.

"Yeah, absolutely," Korra said, giving him a small grin of assurance.

The two boys gave a light nod and saw themselves out.

For a little while, the two girls said nothing.

Korra was the first one to break the ice. She unwrapped the bread slowly, not really craving anything sweet at the moment. She would have preferred noodles, but she appreciated the gesture and bit in. Her voice came out calmer than expected as she chewed and swallowed.

"So, what's up? How's your head?"

Asami remained inclined against the wall, her distance echoing caution. "It's much better. I went to class today and felt fine," she shrugged. "And the rest of you?"

"All fixed up and ready to take on sparring practice tomorrow," Korra said, pumping her chest out a little.

"You're really stubborn, aren't you?"

"Can't be helped," The younger girl said, dismissing it. "The nurse said I was crazy when I told her I'd be returning to fight immediately." Korra looked a little proud of her resilience.

"She also said I have an abnormally hard cranium," Asami responded, giving it a light knock.

"That's what I thought too, when I realized you didn't sustain a concussion, like most of my opponents do," Korra said, almost competitively.

"It was all about the striking arts back in high school, so I've learned how to take some pretty good roughhousing. As long as it's not a hit directly to the face, I usually bounce back," Asami explained.

Korra looked up, a playful glint in her eye. "Yeah? Sure seemed like it when you were able to flip out of the holds so quickly, like nothing happened to you," she looked down at her bruised fist, noticing the healer had missed those. "Like I just tapped you on the noggin, or somethin'."

"Please, I wouldn't go down that easy," Asami said, a bit of cockiness starting to rise from her voice as well.

"You didn't go down at _all_ for the first twenty minutes, woman!" Korra said, regaining her penchant for humor. She threw a pillow at her. "Geez, what are you made of, anyway?"

Asami giggled, catching the pillow, wondering if this was Korra's special way of complimenting her. "Rainbows and sunshine," she said, tossing it back her.

"Do you release sparkling fairy dust when you're kicked, too?" Korra flung the pillow at Asami once more, who caught it and smacked Korra's bare legs.

The sounds of their laughs echoed into the hallway. There it was, that familiar pitch of girlish voices, entwined with one another in a shared moment of elation. A noise that was freed when one person incited such happiness in the other with just their words. It was such a subtle form of communication, one that often hid deeper feelings when there was nothing else to say.

As the cheeriness died down again, Korra caught Asami's thoughtful gaze redirected at her, as she crossed her legs and refolded her arms. The sun was going down a little earlier than usual; copper tinted rays flooded the walls and ceiling, modifying their skin tone one shade yellower. Shadows started to take shape near various objects, embracing the bold colors in the room and turning them warmer. Their eyes met, and they stared at each other for a long moment. Korra took in Asami's mysterious appearance, beginning to feel that nagging curiosity again. It was that annoying wariness that reminded her of how much she didn't know about the other girl.

Sure, she knew the things that most people already knew about the famous Asami Sato. She was nineteen, one year older than herself. She was a brilliant and motivated student. And despite being wealthy, she was one of the nicest, most humble people on campus. All of these qualities combined made her extremely approachable wherever she went. But she never talked about herself in depth. She always seemed to steer the conversation away to the point where she was asking about other people's feelings. Listening. Watching.

Korra dwelled on these snapshots of Asami's life, as the very girl stood before her. Was she the only one who noticed these things? Asami was always surrounded by different types of people, giving her the illusion of someone that could talk about herself for days without boring anybody.

Her makeup was sultry, masking each thought of hers as they appeared on her face. Giving away nothing, so that nothing could be taken from her. She was truly an enigma.

_Asami Sato. Just who are you, exactly?_

Korra tore her gaze away from the heiress, focusing on the dimming environment outside the window. It was incredibly peaceful up in the mountains. It made a person reflect on things they didn't have time for in the past. It had been so long since she last visited the city, and she faintly imagined the sounds of cars zooming by.

Asami spoke up, her words piercing Korra's contemplation like glass. "...Sorry. I really didn't mean to hurt you so badly," recalling the welts she left when she went to untie her wrists in the arena.

The younger girl's smiled faded. "It's okay. They're all healed now anyway. I mean, I didn't feel so hot punching you in the head, either."

Another silent interlude.

"But... Why were you acting so strangely?" Korra asked, her voice almost lowering into a whisper. "If you were mad at me, you could have just come right out and said so."

Now seeing that Korra was ready to confront the topic, Asami walked over, heels clicking against the linoleum. She sat down on the bed right beside her, ready to say her piece.

"Look- Korra, I..." she paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "I wasn't upset with you for pulling me into the garden. Meeting you was my own idea. I told you that. Remember?" Asami put her hand on the younger girl's.

Korra looked down at their clasped hands, not expecting the contact, but she didn't pull away. She nodded.

"Getting into trouble with you was _my_ choice. Getting disciplined was something I deserved too," Asami continued.

Korra looked back up at her, slightly confused. What could have possibly been the problem then, if her previous speculation was incorrect? If Asami wasn't blaming Korra for their retribution, then why did Asami push her away?

She tucked a strand of wavy hair behind her ear, and looked at Korra gingerly, softly. Like she was about to say something she wanted Korra to answer honestly.

"Did you ever stop to think... about accepting the consequences we both were responsible for?"

Korra blinked, taken aback by a possibility that hadn't even crossed her mind until now.

She had been so concerned with trying to find a way out of Kuvira's sentence, she never thought about just following orders.

"Um, well... I..." She stammered, looking around for an answer. Was there a right answer?

"Uh... I mean, well, no." After deciding on her stance, she regained the usual aggressive tone to her voice. "Of course not, no! Kuvira wasn't trying to teach us about ethics, she was getting back at me for disrespecting her!" Korra said, both her hands waving to emphasize her point. "And why should I respect someone that treats her students like animals more than anything else?"

Asami looked at Korra even more intensely, her bright green eyes becoming more pronounced as the room darkened from the rapidly disappearing sun. She seemed to be searching the younger girl's soul. The slant in her eyebrows made her appear... sad, almost.

"...I see," she said. "That's what I thought you'd say." She removed her hands and put it back in her own lap. "But what she had asked you to do- to meet her after class that day... was not an unreasonable request."

Korra blinked again, wondering where this was going. "Yeah, but the punishment was."

"The difference between us then, was that I was absolutely ready to own up to it. Even if the punishment seemed unfairly harsh."

Korra took a minute to register what she was saying. So Asami didn't tell her anything because she knew she'd resist. Well then, she was completely right in hypothesizing that to be her reaction. "You shouldn't simply roll over for people who are willing to do unjust things to you," she said, stubbornly refusing Asami's logic.

The heiress smiled, looking at the ground. "There are some things you cannot change about the world, Korra. But you can change how you react to them."

"But we're friends, Asami. I didn't want to hurt you," Korra explained. "How was fighting you supposed to make things right? Kuvira doesn't really care about that kind of stuff,"

"I understand." Asami said. "Going to the Gardens that day… That was fun," Asami said, her gaze shifting back to the freshman, a genuine look of happiness passing over her face. "But you know... one day, you may face consequences much greater than just fighting your friend. And what will you do then, when there is no loophole to fall back on?"

Korra felt the hairs on her arms prickle. She wished Asami hadn't said something so ominous, like another warning. "I don't know, but you could have at least _said_ something along the lines of that," Korra said. "Instead of keeping me in the dark that day."

"Yeah, but would you have really fought with everything you had, if you thought I was just trying to teach you some big moral lesson?" Asami shook her head. "It's more than that. _Believe_ me," she said, grabbing her hand again and squeezing it.

Korra stared at the ground. She didn't really know why Asami's reasoning triggered a flicker of shame in her, but rather than resist it, she gave it some thought. Normally she'd be pissed that someone her age was trying to impose another lesson on her about the 'spiritual' side of things. But somehow, Asami was different.

This was the first match she had lost in a long time since high school, so maybe the sophomore knew what she was doing. Whatever acceptance stuff she seemed to be talking about, Korra didn't quite understand. But she wanted to try something new for once. _That's what college is about, right? Making new friends and growing with your mistakes. Or something like that._

"Okay. I believe you," Korra said finally. "On one condition though,"

"Anything," Asami promised.

"Stop being so secretive," Korra said, nudging her. "Be more open with me and the guys. That's the only way we'll accept you,"

Asami seemed surprised, but she agreed. "I'm not secretive on purpose, you know. I just..." She focused on the doorway. "...Prefer to understand other people,"

Korra snorted. "Yeah? Well quit it," she said, giving her a thrust in the arm. "I want to to talk to _you_. Not to these protective walls you keep putting around yourself,"

"Fine. I'll try harder. Just for you," Asami assured her.

The two girls began to relax as their feelings had finally been put on the table, without resulting in either one of them yelling.

"Besides, did you really think Kuvira would have fallen for a game of pretend fighting?" She made a face. "She oversees a lot of the classes in the Academy, and I heard she used to be the captain of the matriarch's personal guard in Zaofu. I don't think she would have settled for anything less than the two of us knocking each other out. Which is exactly what happened," she said. "I could only imagine what else she could have planned for us if she discovered we were just screwing around,"

"I suppose you're right," Korra admitted.

"She came into our room yesterday morning," Asami said. "I'm positive she was checking on us to make sure the injuries we sustained were real, as twisted as that sounds." Asami clutched her arms. "Anyway... I'm glad we're both okay. Next time, I'll make my intentions clearer."

Korra was relieved to see Asami return to her familiarly warm disposition, as the engineer took her hand and put it against her heart. "I'm here for you, Korra. I want to help you find out who's responsible for the destruction of the spirits,"

Korra's eyes lowered at their intertwined hands.

"Come on, I'll walk you out. We've been in this hospital for too long," she said, hopping off the bed. The two girls walked out of the room and down the winding staircase, heading for the exit.

When they finally ended up outside, the sky was painted beautifully with blues, purples, and hints of orange.

"Guess this is where we part ways, then," Korra said.

"Not going home yet?"

"No, I have to go back and collect the stuff I left in the lockers at the grand arena."

"Alright. We'll talk soon, then," Asami smiled.

"Yeah, we will," Korra waved a final good bye.

Asami turned on her heel, collecting herself as she strode leisurely back to her campus apartment. There was too much going on right now for her to focus on the lab she had to prepare for tomorrow. She decided that once she got home, she would go straight to bed. The heiress didn't show it, but dealing with her emotions was exhausting. Thinking about her feelings for Korra was exhausting.

As soon as Asami closed the door behind her, she flung her bag on her study desk and dipped for her plush bedding. She arched her spine, looking back at the small desk light still open behind her, and the lab manual that lay beneath it. For a brief moment she had second thoughts about putting off her work.

 _What a day. I think I'm gonna just turn in for the night,_ Asami yawned. She slipped into her silk bedsheets, taking in the softness of her comforter against her bare feet.

Staring at the ceiling, her thoughts wouldn't quiet down. She could tell she'd be having vivid dreams tonight.

Asami looked over at her jacket, carelessly slung over her bed's headboard. She reached, pulling out the card from the pocket once more, staring at the gold letters and letting it reflect against her desk light. She wondered what she could possibly need from this "Amon".

As she drifted off to an alternate reality, she thought about what Korra had said to her the other day, laying weakly in her bed.

_"You don't ever have to lie to me."_

Friendship was a fickle thing. But Asami always assumed that, eventually, there would be at least one person she could learn to trust.

It was strange how much had changed since high school. It made her wonder what Korra was like before college, as well.

* * *

**[About four years ago]**

**[** "Asami, where are your grades?"

"They're not here yet."

Asami's father studied her with a scrutinizing eye, trying to make out anything that would give away the fact that she was lying.

"Oh really?" He confirmed.

"Yeah, my AP Biology teacher takes weeks to grade our tests, and I still haven't heard anything about the first one." Asami shifted her weight to her other foot, trying to look as natural as possible. She tended to fidget a bit when she was nervous. She unfastened her signature blue barrette, letting her glossy dark curls hang on both sides of her slim face.

Her father sighed, going behind his desk and opening a drawer. Asami's heart lurched forward. Did she give something away? She could feel sweat beads starting to form. "Asami, you know how I feel about you lying to me." He pulled out a letter that had its flap neatly unsealed, and withdrew the paper from within. "If what you say is true, then why did I receive a notification warning about your possible failure in the class? Or are you going to tell me that they don't hand grades back, but they do take the time to write letters, sign them, and mail them to the homes of students who are doing poorly?"

Asami's lips hung slightly apart, her voice caught in her throat. Her heart was racing. "I... I..." Asami's eyes welled up, because she knew what was coming next.

She started crying, hot tears spilling out of her eyes. She rubbed at them furiously, trying to wipe her face clean, desperately trying to quell her emotions with the physical mop of her hand. She didn't wear makeup back then.

She did what she always had to do in situations like these. Back down. "Dad, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disappoint you, I- I..."

"You were just what, trying to take me for a fool?"

"No, dad, how could you say that? It's just that you get so mad when I-"

"Of course I get mad!" He slammed his fist on the desk. "How am I supposed to trust you when you can't even hold up your end of an agreement?"

"It's not that I purposely went against you, I just-"

Her father held up a hand, silencing her. Asami didn't bother justifying herself anymore. Ever since mom died, her father had changed for the worst.

He still worked hard to ensure that Asami had everything she needed- the best school they could afford, a large allowance for dates with her friends, any kind of material thing she asked for.

But when the stress of work and life became too much for him to handle, he lashed out in anger, followed by overcompensation with gifts and money. He didn't know where to strike the balance between love and discipline any longer.

Most days, things were good between them. They went out every Friday night like he had promised. They watched the latest mover released in theaters. He was still the kind, generous man that Asami knew as a child. And back when mom was alive, he was also a man that was thoughtful, and slow to anger. That's why Asami's grades had to do more with pleasing her father than actually understanding the material she learned in class.

But whenever something didn't go the way her father had planned, he became violent and lost self control. He never went as far as striking his daughter in anger, but he increased her hours at the dojo to a dangerous level. He'd tell whatever instructor Asami had at the time to increase their practice drills, if they had nothing else new to teach her. And who would refuse the demands of one of the most influential industrialists in Republic City?

The thing her dad seemed to lose over the years was empathy. He seemed to have forgotten how love didn't require her to be so superficially well-off, but being listened to and understood. The emotional roller coaster she was put through on a weekly basis was awful. She knew that inside, her dad was hurting, and she had to be there for him. Even if she was the punching bag.

"I give you everything, Asami. _Everything_." Her father said, circling around back to his leather chair and taking a seat. "And this is... This is how you repay me."

"Dad, stop. That's not true." Asami said, her voice cracking. She tried to pull herself together, but every movement her father made had an edge of rage to it, and it unnerved her. The more she became emotional, the more her father seemed to ignore what she was saying.

"You're going to sit down with a tutor every single day until your grades improve. And I'm increasing your hours at training until 9 pm." He said, finalizing her punishment.

"But dad," she said, trying to reason with him, exasperation climbing out of her voice. "I'm tired. And sensei's program is really rigorous, I'm constantly a mess after every session already," she begged.

"And that is why you will either become stronger, or you will lay down and die like a weakling!" his voice boomed, ripping his daughter to pieces.

"And you will certainly not be permitted to back down from this," her father spat, squeezing his eyes shut and clutching his forehead. "I will not have you unprepared for the threats this world has in store for you, Asami," he said, his voice rising, clearly anguished with visions of his wife being killed behind his closed eyelids. "And I refuse to have a daughter that is a coward to owning up to her bad decisions, as the next CEO of Future Industries!"

Asami took a step back, her lips pursed in such a strained fashion it hurt her face.

Her shoulders visibly shook in a mix of fear and anger. She ran to her room and locked herself in, and she didn't come out until the very next day. **]**


	6. Dinner

"What's going on here?"

"Don't look at me, coach, _she's_ the one on the floor."

"Focus, Korra. Come on, get up now."

The Avatar turned her head as she lay on the ground, her instructor's white shoes coming into view. He stood at the edge of the mat, halting his routine walk to observe the two girls. Korra's increasing stagger had become too obvious to ignore the fourth time around, and now she was falling. The stocky man looked back at her expectantly. She rolled her eyes and huffed, picking herself up and returning to the task at hand.

She was going against a freshman like herself. Class was structured so that everyone was set up in pairs, simulating mock combat. The gym was large, and the mats contained a bordered square for each set of students. There were about fifteen sets in all, circling each other, feeling their way around the exercise. Today's lesson involved going through particular motions in airbending, but the teacher had said something specific about taking turns when Korra wasn't paying attention.

Of course, she could have just asked him to repeat the explanation all over again. She could have even asked her partner for a quick refresher about the lesson.

That's what she _should_ have done. But she didn't.

"What are you waiting for? Don't stall. Keep moving," he directed the lagging bender, giving her a funny look. He found it odd that he was telling Korra of all people not to wait, as rushing headfirst into things was her natural response for... well, everything.

She huffed, trying to work with a partner who was purposely being unhelpful.

Situations like these were becoming a common occurrence in her classes, and by day two she knew this was going exactly the way Kuvira had planned.

The match at the grand arena had somewhat tarnished the status of her abilities. She was on thin ice with every person assigned to train with her. Thanks to her big loss, the Avatar was no longer untouchable, and people weren't intimidated by her presence anymore. Instead of treating her like a regular classmate, though, this seemed to open up a power struggle between her and her peers.

Korra already knew her existence could appear threatening to some. The popular fighters that outranked her in seniority worked for years to gain their current standing at the head of their classes. They had left her alone since her arrival at the Academy, because no one had the courage to come forth and test her strength. Her perfect high school record at the time spoke for her skills as a great bender and fearsome opponent.

Now that she was down, some people took to the chance of keeping it that way.

Until last week, Korra hadn't seen the darker side of the Academy because she was always standing above it.

Stress and brutality seemed to plague everyone who wanted to be the best. Now that she had become a target, the toxic environment began to work at eroding her foothold until she had nothing left to stand on. People were willing to eat each other alive if that meant less competition.

And what better way to relieve tension than rocking the boat with the Avatar? It's not like she could back it up anymore with being unbeatable. It was her first and _only_ public battle.

Lately she'd been thinking about the ex-roommate that transferred after her first semester.

 _What happened to this place?_ She often asked herself. _This school wasn't what Tenzin described at all._

Still, Korra had no plans on retreating; she handled each situation with a tough exterior as usual. She barked at her partners when they were being careless, called them out when they were being passive aggressive. She would _not_ give in to the metalbender's strategy to break her spirit.

But after a whole week of the same games, she was inevitably tired. Dealing with people was still an obstacle and it clouded her concentration, making her training and mental health suffer, even though she put on a brave face and didn't show it.

Already she could see the crabbiness growing on the other girl's face as she released another wave of wind.

Korra deflected it with her own, her footsteps gliding at an even pace across the floor, her arms and torso controlled but not too stiff.

 _So it's kind of like a game of catch. She pushes some air my way, and then I push some back. We cancel each other out by emitting the same force and speed. I think I get it now,_ Korra thought, trying to read her movements as best she could.

As she went for another small blast, her partner suddenly switched over to her non-dominant hand. She slid an open palm to the right, knocking Korra off balance for the third time in their practice session.

"I said _focus_ , Korra,"

The Avatar grit her teeth, ready to send a whirlwind towards her instructor if he didn't stop badgering her. If anything, he was making her lose the little concentration she had left.

Her mind was split in two, trying to move with her partner in the present while thinking about events of the recent past.

She hadn't seen or heard from Asami since their last conversation at the hospital. It made sense, considering they spent an entire two and a half days tied up in each other's affairs.

Things hadn't been the same even as she settled back and returned to her normal schedule. She found herself wistfully reminiscing during lectures, contemplating high school and the conversations she had with Tenzin before all of this.

She remembered him saying that college would be an entirely different experience. Was this what he meant?

He had warned her about loneliness, and at the time she had no idea what he was talking about. How could a person be lonely when surrounded by thousands of people with the same interests and goals in mind?

All her life she had excelled at everything she was physically capable of achieving. And in less than an hour, one person made it seem like those successes meant nothing.

Now she was beginning to understand the point he was driving at.

It was a new kind of isolation. A feeling that made her question herself, something she had never done in the past.

 _Uncertainty_.

Maybe she should have demanded that Asami stay away from her. Perhaps she should have been angrier, or more assertive. If the engineer couldn't trust Korra enough to reason with her, then why should she give the sophomore the same privilege?

And yet... whenever the freshman closed her eyes and recalled the heiress' nimble fingers lacing with her own, she couldn't help but picture her face in that darkening room. The slight pursing of ruby lips. The apologetic slant in her brow. Those jeweled eyes that peered back at her hopefully. Like she _needed_ something from Korra. Like she wanted to tell her something, but she just _couldn't_ at the time.

That look said it all. Clearly, there was something very personal Asami had to face when choosing her commitments.

Korra had told Asami it was all okay, and she wanted to believe that it really was. She wanted so badly to move on from what had happened, to forget that side of Asami she'd never seen before. But it continued to cloud her mind.

Over and over again, she replayed the fight in her memory, consistently beating plausible scenarios to death while imagining alternative outcomes in her favor. If it had been someone else, would she have won? If she had waited a minute longer—no, a second longer, would things have turned out differently?

She would never know for sure.

_Because the reality was that she lost, and there was no going back._

Once more, the water tribe girl was distracted, getting whisked off her feet, landing hard on her tailbone.

"Korra, I said—"

Korra's brows furrowed and she emitted a gust of wind that blew both her instructor and sparring partner backwards. "I heard what you said! Give it a rest already!"

"Hey!" her partner said irritably, covering her face and doubling backwards.

"Can I please have a new partner, coach? The Avatar's temper is slowing everyone down, _as usual_ ," her high-pitched voice set off something in Korra. That was the last straw.

"Why you little—" Her hand twitched and she jerked back to return the offense when her instructor immediately sensed it, blasting the girls further apart with a wave of air to break them up.

"That's enough, you two. Korra, take a walk!"

The teenager grunted, stomping off the mats. "Fine! I'm done for today anyway,"

She grabbed her backpack and scowled resentfully at each of the students turning to look at her, wondering what the commotion was all about.

As she walked towards the door, she noticed a tall, dark figure had slinked in without warning. She was resting her back against the wall, arms folded in their usual fashion, patiently waiting.

Asami.

She had seen everything.

 _Oh, great_.

Korra wanted to walk past her without saying a word. She had too much on her mind, and Asami consisted of most of it. But it was apparent the older girl had come to meet her to talk about something, and she was blocking the only exit. Ignoring her would only cause more trouble for herself.

As she approached, she briefly scanned the engineer. A black leather backpack hung from her shoulders, too small to put any real books in. It didn't look like she was coming from class or was going to one. Was she looking for Korra this whole time?

"Hey," was all the younger girl managed.

The taller girl nodded, knowing the waterbender was drained of her usual enthusiasm. It was easy to assess how the freshman was feeling. Her emotions were never well hidden, especially when she was showing obvious signs of being aggravated.

So moody. So volatile.

"This is your last class, right?"

"Yeah."

Asami looked down at her with worry, then back up at her classmates, observing the instructor talking to Korra's previous partner. The heiress narrowed her eyes as she watched the other freshman giggle and pull around a friend from the sidelines. She talked excitedly with her new practice buddy, and looked back at Korra momentarily but then caught sight of Asami's burning glare. Her smile immediately fell, and she quickly turned back to her friend, trying to ignore the unspoken threat.

The older girl's face softened as she turned her attention back to the Avatar.

"You've been training hard. Why don't we take a break tonight?" she suggested, putting her hands on both shoulders and leaning forward slightly. She wanted to pull her into their usual comforting hug, but it didn't seem appropriate when Korra was angry.

"I don't know," the shorter girl said, her bottom lip forming into a grumpy pout.

"Please? I haven't even seen you in our only class together. Where've you been?"

Korra kept her gaze nailed to the floor, not wanting to be convinced by the girl's beautiful eyes. "Don't you know? Zaheer allows his students to take study hall if we know we're not going to concentrate in class." The 18-year-old shoved her hands into her pockets, looking angsty. "Smart man. Cuts the bullshit and lets us do what we feel is best."

Asami didn't say anything, her face becoming even more concerned.

"Have you been talking to Mako and Bolin?"

"No. Mako just got a new internship with the Chief of Police, and Bolin is doing really well in his classes. I don't want to bother either of them." She seemed really intent on avoiding eye contact with Asami. "I don't need to be babied by anybody."

The sophomore kept her hold on Korra's shoulders, giving them a hard squeeze.

"Then, let's have a girls' night," she urged her.

Korra slowly tilted her head back, finally looking at her. She wore a look that verged on confusion. "Girls'…night?"

"Yeah. Just the two of us," she smiled, looking cheerful.

"I… Uh…" Korra didn't know what to say.

Her stomach twisted in small knots of nervousness. She was used to hanging out by herself or just with the guys. What would they do? Paint nails? Talk about boys? Get in touch with their feelings?

She was already getting uncomfortable by the very idea.

Asami laughed, seeing the girl get redder by the minute. "Oh, relax, Korra. You need to loosen up a little. Come stop by my place tonight, we'll go get something to eat. You know where the apartments are, right?"

Korra sighed, finally submitting to Asami's decision. Resistance was futile now that she hinted curiosity about a girls' night. "Yeah… it's a ten minute walk from where my community is."

"Then that won't be too much trouble for you."

"I guess not…" Korra resumed her default pout.

"So I'll see you tonight at seven. Come hungry."

* * *

When Korra arrived at Asami's apartment, she was taken aback by its extravagance, though not totally unexpected. She looked around, appreciating the sophomore's classy taste, taking in as much as she could see from the most luxurious room in the building.

Lots of crimson hues, like the heiress' outfit. Lots of drapes, long patterned fabrics adorning the space as her bedspread and as her curtains; large and richly elegant, sweeping across the window and all the way down to the solid ground. Cherry wood desks and drawers. An enormous oak closet. A lavish oriental rug over chestnut finished floors. A personal bathroom, all in brown marble.

"Make yourself at home. I've got all the food out on the table already."

Korra looked to her left. She even had a small kitchen space! Her eyes widened, slightly jealous of all the amenities and furnishings. Hiroshi must have had this room custom made for her, as all the other apartments shared a common area for one kitchen and two bathrooms per flat.

"Give me a second, I just have to put this back over here..."

Asami was running to and from the stove, putting eating utensils on the table and moving shopping bags out of the way.

The freshman looked around some more before sitting, waiting to be hit by any personal tokens that the sophomore may have used to decorate. She saw some magazine clippings of famous female engineers, and a calendar pinned to a bulletin board. There were some fashion subscriptions strewn on the couch. It also seemed that Asami was fond of string lights; she had them winding around her gold metallic headboard, as well as around the foot of the bed and along the walls and tall bookshelf.

Korra found it interesting that there were no signs of any personal photos in her room- not of friends, nor of family. Not even of her father.

The observation was soon forgotten as Asami motioned for Korra to sit at the kotatsu. The blanket had not been removed yet; the nights still had a dramatic drop in temperature. It was placed near the sectional sofa so they could lean back on it.

She looked at the food prepped on the table, and her eyes widened in disbelief. It was expensive takeout from what happened to be her favorite noodle place in the city.

"You... called for delivery?" Korra looked shocked. "How much did that cost?!"

Asami shook her head and smiled.

"I went down to Republic City and picked it up myself. I reheated it in the frying pan just before you arrived."

The freshman could feel her heart suddenly unfurling into a mess of joy and appreciation as she registered Asami's selfless deed.

The heiress had gone through the trouble of taking a train ride down to Republic City even though it was two hours from the campus and back. The younger girl's pulse was rising.

After an unbroken string of misfortune involving faculty, students, and other powers of authority, this unexpected dinner made Korra, to say the least, ecstatic.

It was perfect.

"Y-you didn't have to do all this, Asami," she said, slightly panicking. "When you said have dinner, I thought you just wanted to meet over a couple of fries at the cafeteria," she walked around the table to her designated pillow.

"It's fine _,_ Korra _,_ " Asami said, easing the girl into her home. "Just relax, you've been so tense lately."

"Have you been spying on me?" she asked jokingly, but then wondering seriously. _I don't think I've ever mentioned my favorite restaurant._

"I've been checking up on you," Asami admitted with another smile, setting two tea cups out then two wine glasses but leaving the bottle in its bag. "Anyway, it's so obvious. I don't even have to touch you to tell that your whole body is strained, just trying to keep up with your cortisol levels."

She took a black kettle and poured Jasmine tea into Korra's cup first. "Look at the way you're sitting right now."

Korra became instantly aware of her poor posture, straightening her spine and wrinkling her nose in distaste. It was true that her neck had been aching more than usual. She had even started to slouch when she was walking to and from class.

She thanked Asami for pouring the tea, an easygoing smile forming on her lips. Again, Korra felt content. _Comforted_. Like when she was first hugged by Asami in the Gardens.

Korra looked at the older girl as she reached over and pushed some plates and cartons around the low table.

What was she doing here? What were they even _doing_ sitting down and enjoying a meal together?

It was all so new. Like what was happening wasn't even real, and she was just watching a film.

It was like Asami was the only person that really watched and tended to Korra at the times she needed it the most. The freshman folded her hands around the cup, curling around it like the heiress' familiar warmth and thoughtfulness. She took a steady breath in, haven't feeling this at ease since...

Since...

Well, she couldn't remember honestly. Following graduation, nothing had turned out the way she planned.

Korra looked at the bottle peeking out of its bag as the sophomore put napkins on the table. "Oh, you drink?" she asked.

"Occasionally. Do you?"

"Not really, but I think I can afford to loosen up a little today," Korra confessed.

The sophomore stopped what she was doing, still stretched midway over the table. Her irises glided back up to the girl sitting across from her. A sly smile was playing across her lips. "Are you sure you can trust me?" she asked.

"Trust you?" Korra rubbed the back of her head, trying to ignore Asami's suggestive insinuation. Her face tinted red. "Of course."

But the girl intended it to sound exactly the way she said it, and continued. Teasing the younger girl was too much fun.

"Are you sure I won't take advantage of you?" Asami's smile grew wider as she saw a fleeting look of coyness on the Avatar's face.

"I… I don't know what you mean," Korra said, her blush growing even stronger.

 _Too easy_.

Seeing that Korra had let her guard down even further, Asami dropped the playful harassment for now.

She was genuinely curious about what the Avatar had been up to since they last saw each other.

The younger girl grabbed her chopsticks and lifted the spiced noodles from a big bowl to her mouth. "So… I guess this is one of the perks of being Hiroshi's daughter, huh? Your place looks great. I love these cushions," Korra said, wiggling a little bit.

"Glad you like them. I had them imported from a little island off the coast," Asami said, reaching for a small plastic tupperware and prying off the lid. It contained a mix of garnishes. She took a piece of ginger and put it on her plate. She didn't seem to be a fan of anything else, as she stuck to her meat and vegetable stew. There was only one large container of noodles and Korra was in possession of it.

The freshman's eyes couldn't seem to stop moving around the apartment. Everything was just put together so well, and there was so much to see. She looked over at her bookshelf. What kinds of things did she read in her leisure time? "Your place is huge. I bet your friends love coming here. I'm guessing you have a lot of parties in here, am I right?"

Asami snorted. "And have them destroy all these rare and imported items with booze and vomit? No thanks," she said, scooping a ball of rice past her lips. "Besides..."

Korra swallowed and looked up at her.

"...I've never invited someone here, before."

The heiress quietly chewed, her eyes trained on her plate.

Korra had a heap of noodles hanging halfway out of her mouth. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. _I'm the first student to ever see her room?_

She tried to play off her surprise by resuming the inhalation of her meal and nodded, shoveling in more noodles to prolong her next response.

"It was my dad's idea, anyway," Asami explained. "I told him I was fine having a roommate like everybody else, but he went ahead and had this new room furnished entirely for me," she sighed. "It's a nice place, but... I didn't ask for it."

Seeing that Asami didn't like being defined by her material belongings, Korra tried changing topic.

"Has your dad always been a big supporter of the Academy? I had no idea he was huge on law enforcement." She paused, actually wondering what Hiroshi Sato was like. She'd only seen the occasional picture of him pop up in the newspaper, along with an article about his journey to success, but she never did anything more than skim. "It must be nice, having a father that cares so much about protecting the city in addition to advancing it with new technology."

Korra kept munching happily, loving every bite. The steamed vegetables went great with it as well.

"He's always cared about people living up to their full potential," Asami said, shrugging her shoulders. "And the Academy is all about pushing yourself to the next level. It's always been his motto. Never settle. Always aim high for your dreams," she continued. "When I said I wanted to go away for college, he had me look around for which ones I was interested in, but only after a lot of persuasion."

Korra tried imagining a younger Asami flipping through a Best Colleges guide book. She inwardly smiled at the cute thought. "And how did you hear of the school?"

"I had a bunch of highly trained instructors at the time, and many of them suggested looking into the Academy. So I did." Asami looked at Korra and then looked back down. "Told my dad about it, and he approved. It went over with him a lot easier than I expected."

"You were expecting him to tell you no?" Korra made a reach for the cooling tea. "Shouldn't it make sense to continue to higher education?"

"It wasn't becoming a college student he was concerned about. That was already a given. There is no way I could have become his successor without further training." She glanced over to the middle row of her bookshelf. Korra followed her gaze and the outlines of thick volume titles with Roman numerals glinted back at her in their shiny font. "The issue was that he wanted me to go to school near home, so he could keep an eye on me."

"Well… That's not so bad, right?" Korra had stopped eating, now interested in Asami's story. "I mean… lots of parents feel that way about their kids. And some kids don't feel like leaving home either. You guys must have a close bond," she said. "That's cool."

Asami stopped chewing for a second so brief, Korra didn't catch it. "It's… complicated," Asami muttered under her breath as she lifted her cup to drink, her eyes lowered. She deftly maneuvered her way out of the subject, becoming a little bubbly to cover up the turn in conversation away from herself.

"So, how about you? What did your parents think?"

Korra laughed. "Well, I had already been away from them some time after I went to live on Air Temple Island. I just _had_ to leave the compound they kept me in, and they agreed to let me go to high school in the city as long as Tenzin was my guardian."

"Wow," Asami said. "So you've been independent for a while now."

"I don't know if you can really say that." Korra frowned. "Everybody's keeping watch of me all the time. You know there are more guards here than on the island?" she gave her bowl an exasperated look. "Everybody's trying to protect me when it should be the other way around!"

Asami laughed at her friend's frustration. "It's because you're so impulsive, silly."

Korra looked at her, pouting. Asami quickly figured out that this was the girl's main way of communicating distress, thoughtfulness, and frustration all at the same time.

The sophomore looked away, grinning. "You're like a child. You think you're invincible," she chuckled. "If you would just follow directions, people wouldn't be so worried about you all the time," she explained.

"There's nothing _to_ worry about!" she resisted. "I've always been the strongest fighter, the strongest bender, the quickest learner…" she didn't realize she was starting to ramble. "I've always won my major fights, my big tournaments…" she unclasped her fist. She remembered why they were having dinner in the first place.

"…Till now, that is."

Asami put her food down. "So that's what's been troubling you," she said.

Korra paused, realizing she just gave away her true thoughts.

It was too late. She had gotten caught up in the moment, and the weakness she spent a week trying to pretend didn't exist, had slipped out.

"Of… of course," Korra said quietly. "Haven't you been listening to what people have been saying?"

"I don't pay attention to people who don't matter," Asami said, equally as quiet. "And I thought you felt the same way, too."

Korra's eyes darted back up at her, surprised by her resolve.

But then she thought of something, and her hopefulness quickly faded again.

"Yeah, but… you're not the one who lost," she said, setting her bowl down. She was finished a while ago, but she only now realized it was empty.

"Is that how you determine your worth?" Asami said, her eyes still fixated on the table. "By how many wins and losses you've tallied?"

Korra folded her arms across her chest while re-crossing her legs. "No, but… That's how I keep track of my progress."

"Then, you have a lot to learn from losing a battle."

Korra looked away. "I'm not used to losing."

She hadn't meant to talk about this with Asami…Certainly not over their first dinner together.

_Ugh._

"So, tell me how class with Kuvira has been," she said, urging the younger girl to open up to her.

"It's…well…" Korra wanted to make it seem like she was in control of at least one situation, but in truth, she wasn't. At all.

She had been going to class, sitting at her regular seat in the front to assert her courage in the face of the teacher who literally wanted her beat down. She wanted the whole class to know she wasn't afraid, and that she wouldn't resign herself to the back of the room. She talked even louder with Mako and Bolin and kicked her obnoxious facade up a notch.

She wanted to pretend like nothing happened between them, but in all honesty, she hadn't been able to meet Kuvira's gaze with her own eyes since.

"It's alright. It's not like we talk or anything. There isn't much to discuss," Korra said, trying to remain neutral. "And it's not a class where you're really required to engage. We just sit and listen unless someone has a question to ask."

Asami fished around for some leftover meat in the last carton. She slowly brought it up to her mouth, making the food last as long as possible.

She could read Korra like an open book.

"You're used to feeling like the hunter, and for the first time you're feeling like the prey," Asami said calmly, scooting closer beside her. "I get it."

Korra tensed defensively, uncomfortable that all her thoughts were being intercepted when she wasn't ready.

"What would you know? Everyone here loves you," she snapped, staring at her chopsticks. She didn't want to look at Asami or acknowledge the fact that she was completely right. She hated feeling like she was weak. She wasn't going to admit that to just _anyone_.

Asami remained calm, and refilled her own tea cup, lifting it to her mouth, then slurping it slightly to cool it down.

"Is that what you think?" Asami said, her heavily painted eyes glancing back up at the agitated girl. She was fond of answering questions, with a question. It helped get her point across much easier.

"Yeah! I mean, you're popular, and smart, and you're obviously really skilled at what you do because you beat the Avatar on your first try!" Korra raised her voice but kept her eyes glued to the table.

The engineer caught on to all her signals. She knew Korra was mad at herself, rather than Asami, though she tried to sound angry. Her avoidance of eye contact and rigid frame told her she wasn't open to being disturbed by an outside force. She wasn't ready to take on an opinion that disagreed with her.

Because deep down, Korra knew the truth herself.

The freshman's voice softened when she realized Asami wasn't going to fight her. "I thought… I was over it, after we talked. I said to myself that if I was ever going to lose, it had to be someone worthy. So that just means you're… amazing. More amazing than me at something." Her eyes seemed to burn with indignity.

The heiress leaned over and grabbed her hand. She knew that it was taking all of Korra's strength just to admit how she really felt about everything.

"It's okay to talk to me. You can trust me. "

Korra looked up at her. "I'm not…" she looked back at their hands. "…Ashamed."

The engineer looked at Korra, a worried expression on her face.

"You know...We're all here to learn, Korra." she said, her grip tightening on the other girl's hand. "And you can't take that lightly. Not only do you have to understand that mentality, you have to accept it fully."

The Avatar's mind spun in frustration again. The whole school was stupid. People were being judgmental though they were never put in her position. Asami had been spending just as much time training as she. In fact, now that she looked back on it, it made sense for the engineer's techniques to be highly effective since she had to adapt her way of evasive fighting to suit the style of benders.

But Korra? All she was trained to do was fight people who had the same abilities as her.

Non-benders had a whole slew of new methods she had never thought to get out of.

Asami reached a hand forward, cupping the girl's chin and making her look at her. "Again, I'm truly sorry about being hard on you."

She fixed her glowing emerald eyes on the waterbender's lightning blue ones. Could Korra see that things were far more complicated than Asami wanted them to be?

"You know, the poison wasn't real. I just wanted you to know I was intent on having you give it your all. Because I-"

Asami bit her lip hard. Out of desire to truly empathize with her friend, she had almost mentioned the incident.

 _That_ incident.

The engineer made a noise that sounded like she was clearing her throat, then feigning forgetfulness. No, it wasn't time to talk about her past. She could comfort Korra another way without bringing it up.

Korra gently took Asami's hand off her cheek. "Don't be sorry. I _did_ give it my best shot, and I lost. Fair and square. I just don't take losing lightly," she admitted.

"You don't have to be perfect just because you're the Avatar." Asami said. "Failure is... a huge part of becoming great."

Korra opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't get a word out. She had nothing else to say. For the longest time she thought she was already at the top of the mountain. In actuality, she was only just beginning at the bottom. And the climb was much steeper than she anticipated.

How could there still be _so much_ she had yet to learn _?_ "I... I don't..."

Asami shushed her, pulling her into a hug. "You don't have to feel bad. About _anything_ ," she said. "You're a student. Just like everyone else who goes here."

Korra gave in to her affection, slowly bringing an arm to wrap around the older girl's waist, bringing them closer. She sighed, inhaling that sweet perfume again. She could feel the sophomore's heart beating against her own chest. They stayed like that for a few more minutes until Asami heard the younger girl murmur something into her hair. "Alright. It's alright... I'm okay now."

The engineer drew back, smiling at winning the girl's trust and being able to have talked her down back to rationality.

"You don't have many girl friends, hm?" Asami grinned.

"No. Why?" Korra gave her a half smile, wondering what brought up that observation.

"Because you had such a hard time just speaking what you felt, despite your whole body language saying it for you," she said. "You must have been holding this in for a long time."

Korra grimaced a little. "Expressing my feelings in the healthiest manner isn't really my thing." She gave her a shy smile.

She looked over at the empty cartons and plates on the table, and then out the window. She realized it was getting late and that the sun was almost out of sight. "I better go before it gets too dark."

Asami nodded, getting up and walking her to the door.

"Listen, I…" Korra met eyes with the older girl. "I wanted to thank you for today. I really needed it. This girl time."

Asami gave her a tender look. "I'm happy I could help."

As Korra turned the knob, Asami looked back at her study desk, remembering something important. "You know, now that you're feeling better, I think we should get to work on scoping out those suspects."

Korra froze, remembering their real mission. Her face grew serious. "Yeah, definitely. Have you been working on anything?"

"I have, actually," Asami said, turning back to face Korra. "It's Saturday tomorrow. Let's meet up around lunchtime. I have a few things to show you."

"Will do," Korra said. As she turned, Asami grabbed her hand one last time, her warmth radiating to the other girl's touch.

"Remember who you are, Korra."

The Avatar nodded without looking back, and Asami let go.


	7. Girls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Warning: This chapter contains graphic depictions of violence.**

"So, what do you think about them?"

Asami looked up from her small pile of dusty books, and over at the freshman splayed across her sofa. She eyed the girl curiously, thinking she had missed Korra saying something while being engrossed in her work.

They had taken a trip to the Southern and Northern Library Towers earlier in the day to do some research on Zaofu. Asami said that understanding Kuvira's ideals would be key in determining her viability as a suspect. To build an accurate profile of her, they would have to start from the very beginning- which meant tracing records all the way back to the metalbender's hometown to learn about its culture.

Their findings totaled to one magazine and about five books- three of them being part of larger texts concerning the general history of the Earth Kingdom. The books weren't necessarily old, as the city was built less than two decades ago, but they hadn't been checked out since their arrival at the Academy. Asami was surprised the school had anything on the city at all in storage, due to its very recent emergence and passivity on world affairs.

They had been lounging around the apartment since eleven in the morning, and the sky remained a pristine baby blue without a cloud in sight. The light pierced through the windows, illuminating Korra's skin a mocha color, causing her to hold the magazine over her squinted eyelids.

"Think about what?"

"Girls."

The heiress raised her eyebrow even higher, confused at the ambiguity. "Girls?"

"Yeah." Korra brushed some hair out of her eyes and flipped to the next page. "Do you like them?"

Asami cracked a smile at how random she was being. "What kind of question is that?"

The freshman shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know, you just seem to know a lot about women,"

Korra arched her back as she lay on the couch, her hands tightening around the pages and crinkling them a bit. She was in much better spirits that afternoon- she had never felt so emotionally recharged after one night of being fed and soothed by someone other than her parents. She was starting to become accustomed to the older girl's attempts at forming a bond. And though Korra didn't say it explicitly, she was starting to enjoy Asami's company, too. She exhaled loudly and slowly, then resumed her rapid flipping through the old and worn out magazine she probably should have treated with more care.

Asami smiled before answering, watching the toffee-skinned girl relax. The Southerner's azure eyes moved back and forth to read between the lines, their usual fieriness replaced by a certain tranquility. It was the kind of pacified face that people only wore when they were completely comfortable with their surroundings. Her posture was slack, a little too fond of resting against the cushions. Her right arm freely hung over the couch's side after putting the monthly issue back on top of the kotatsu.

Asami liked seeing her like this.

Shoulders all the way back. Wide open arms, exposing her chest. A sign which said that Korra trusted her and felt welcomed in her home.

After waiting a whole minute for an answer, the freshman looked at the sophomore, then back at the ceiling. "Am I wrong?"

The heiress let out a laugh, entertained by the sudden curiosity. "What are you getting at?"

It was Korra's turn to smile. "I just wanted to know. Tell me."

Asami closed the book she was scanning and scooted her chair back. "I do find them to be very interesting."

Korra pursed her lips and widened her eyes. Asami's face lit up with amusement when she realized Korra was intent on holding that questioning pout until she got more information out of the heiress.

Asami responded by getting up and walking around her desk to sit on the sofa just beside Korra's head. "Why? You want to know more about them?"

"Maybe."

Korra rose up and sat straight, her palms gripping the crouch. "I already have two good guy friends. But I've never had another girl to hang out with and talk to before." She put her hands over her head and leaned back. "Except Naga. And my mom." Korra gave her an earnest smile. "But you go to a lot of parties and socialize and stuff. Who do you like hanging out with more?"

The sophomore put a finger to her chin, thinking about it a little. "Hm, that's a tough one. I mean, it would really depend on the individual, but..."

"Be general for a moment," Korra said.

"That's still kind of difficult. Really, it's on a case by case basis-"

"No, you have to choose," the younger girl insisted.

"Alright, alright. If I _had_ to choose..." Asami already knew her preference, but was reluctant to pick a side. Business etiquette called for careful consideration before taking a stance on any matter. And if the matter happened to be trivial, like this one, it would be appropriate to have no stance at all.

Less was always more.

The freshman was so eager for information, though. She shook her head, smiling, yielding to the younger girl's game. "...Then, women, definitely."

"Definitely?"

"Am I under interrogation right now?"

"C'mon, 'Sami, I know you have a reason for everything," her teal eyes moved from the heiress' eyes to her lips. She tried not to focus on them for too long, but it was tough. They were in very close proximity to each other and it wasn't an emotionally-charged moment. She had no excuse if the older girl caught her roaming stare...

The Sato girl sighed at the freshman being purposely difficult. "Well, if you _must_ know..." She pulled a strand of hair behind her ear, then reclined further into the couch to a more comfortable position. "I've always had a very different view about them." She paused. "If you ask most people, you'll find many saying that girls are more difficult to deal with... But... I just don't think that's true." She smiled again, taking the magazine back from the kotatsu's table top.

She looked at the picture on the yellowing cover. Suyin Beifong graced the front, proudly standing at the foot of her home, arms crossed over her chest, back-to-back with Baatar senior. "Maybe it's because I understand them."

Asami ran her fingers over the cover, tracing the outline of the woman's hair. "They're very... fluid. Like water." She tapped her chin a few times, wondering if her analogy was going to make sense. "You can go with the flow in some streams... Letting yourself be carried and rocked gently, like the beginning of a blossoming friendship." A gentle smile grazed her lips, as if she was recalling memories from her adolescence, thinking about a certain someone.

As she was contemplating, the Avatar was forming a mental image of sixteen-year-old Asami: because she had a natural talent for fighting and studying, she probably flew through high school, just like Korra did. 

Korra could picture the heiress back then- books hugged to her chest as she chatted with a best friend about her AP class. Potential boyfriends with gelled back hair giving her a casual nod as she walked past the lockers. Hanging out at cafes after class and shopping with her friends every weekend.

The older girl's self-control also spoke of a stable relationship with her family. So Korra envisioned her having a lot of father-daughter time, with her arm hooked around his as they walked to a restaurant to have a leisure dinner. What would they talk about? Korra saw them sitting around a table, sharing stories about their day, about Hiroshi's new project taking off and then about Asami being on the honor roll...

The sophomore may have had a guarded air to her that only the Avatar noticed, but Asami's kindness and intelligence spoke volumes about her upbringing.

Well, that's what Korra figured, anyway.

 _Yeah,_ the freshman nodded to herself. _A normal life. A privileged one, yes, but a regular childhood all the same._

Whatever it was, Korra was assured that it was very unlike her own youth, who's focus since she was a young child was to train, train, train. It was interesting to see how they ended up being shaped so differently as young adults.

Asami had this... sensitivity that was foreign to Korra. She found herself unconsciously craving more of it.

"But then... That comfortable river you've been sweetly sailing on for quite some time... flows into an enormous body of water, becoming part of a terrifying ocean you didn't expect... And some days you'll want to drift one way while the other is trying to push you in a different direction, becoming a violently crashing wave at a moment's notice..." The heiress continued talking while she brushed a thumb along the magazine's edges.

"Sometimes it becomes controlling. Out of nowhere it can try to drown you." She let out a small laugh, and Korra's gaze went to her bright green eyes again, though the heiress didn't look up to meet her. She looked somewhat pained. "I guess that's the part people don't like, isn't it?"

Korra nodded, thinking about her own history with the people she was close to. Though she had been friends with Mako and Bolin for more than four years, she had never gotten to the point of having any major fights with them. She wondered if this was because there was a different level of openness she revealed to them than what she had with Asami, despite only getting to really know her in the recent weeks.

She also supposed, that, maybe her problems back then were just too insignificant compared to what she was facing now.

There had been nothing _to_ be unhappy or fight about.

The heiress' distraught expression disappeared as quickly as it surfaced, and she continued. "They tend to express their emotions extremes, becoming reactive to many things... Which can turn people against each other. But in the end... feelings are nothing to be afraid of. It's something that can provoke change in the world." Another pause. She was going to ask if Korra agreed, but then remembered the girl was asking for _her_ expertise.

"Despite all those ups and downs, though, their emotions are easily read..." Her eyes softened. "...You can easily tell when a tide is coming... When the sea becomes angry... When it wants to calm down and just be left alone." She finally stopped tracing and rested her fingers, her voice lowering into a whisper. "That's what makes it beautiful. As much as emotions can hurt you, they can also keep you safe."

Korra could not take her eyes off the heiress' rouge lips. _Safe..._ "For someone who's work involves so much logic and reasoning, you sure know a lot about emotions."

"Feelings are not a hindrance. They should be treated with as much importance as rationale is," Asami said. "They can motivate you to never make the same mistake twice, or to push you beyond your limits when you have no other reasoning to do so except based on how you feel at the moment."

Asami suddenly laughed, as if caught off guard by her own seriousness. "Well, I guess that's just the interpretation of my own experiences. I actually think about these things a lot." She rubbed the back of her head as the freshman looked at her in wonder. "The relationships between women are… complicated." She explained. "As well as intimate. Dynamic."

Korra loved listening to her voice, like it was stroking her to sleep. Carefully, she put her head on the taller girl's shoulder. "That sounds... fun, I think."

Asami smiled, turning her head slightly so that her nose just touched the other girl's head. A new friendship... An unexplored sea.

Yes, this was what she wanted.

"So you didn't find anything in that issue, I presume," the heiress said, whispering into her hair.

"No, I think this magazine is too late. How old do you think Kuvira is?"

"I'm not sure. Probably just a couple years older than us, not that much. It's just her stern expressions that make her seem more mature."

Korra took the magazine from Asami's hands. "Why don't we look at that book you had open, instead? There's gotta be something there."

Asami sighed, taking the spread back from Korra's hands once more. "I gave you this five minutes ago. Are you sure you looked at this carefully? I think you were using this to just block the sun out of your eyes." She tapped the girl's forehead lightly with the magazine, then re-opened the pages. "This is one of Zaofu's anniversary editions. There must be something useful in this one."

She kept flipping through the pages, skimming titles highlighted in bold font, trying to find words or photographs that stood out to her. She finally stopped on a picture of a massive metallic flower. "Hey, wait a minute. Look at this."

Korra peered in closer at the page. It wasn't the long article written underneath she was focused on, but the group of people that surrounded the flower. "Is that...?"

"Yeah, that's her!" Asami said, bringing the image even closer to her eyes. "Wow, she looks so much smaller without all that metal armor on her."

A young Kuvira, seemingly in her late teens or early twenties, was caught in mid-motion with her arms outstretched as everyone in the troupe metalbended the structure. She was on the outskirts of it, to the right. She had a long braid and her face could clearly be seen as it tilted back to focus on her work. She wore a calm expression but the effort and concentration could be seen in her eyes.

"She looks..." Korra trailed off, not being able to quite place what was so different about Kuvira.

"Happy." Asami finished.

The girls stayed utterly silent, feeling like they had just uncovered a lost treasure no one else knew about. Korra allowed that one-word description sink in.

The metalbender may not have been smiling outright, but there was something about the way her loose braid hung carelessly over her shoulders and how her eyes concentrated on the activity before her. It was as if the dance was all that occupied her mind, and she had no other priority in the world except being the best at what she wanted to do. She looked... free.

Korra studied her face, thinking back to the slightly twisted expression the woman usually wore. Like the ex-captain was in constant turmoil about something.

Her eyes moved to the woman beside her, a curled bob of hair overlapping the side of her face. It was the matriarch of the Metal Clan.

"Hey, I have an idea," Korra said, her eyes lighting up. "Why don't we take a trip to Zaofu? Our spring break is coming up. It would be a great vacation, and we'd be able to get some snooping in."

Asami's eyes brightened. "Really? Sure. We can make some plans for that." She paused. "But... Shouldn't we talk to Tenzin about this first?"

Korra shook her head. "Nah, he'll probably tell us to wait for a safer opportunity. But there's no time for that. And it's better to go now since I haven't trained with him for the past two weekends, so he won't suspect we're up to anything."

"I want to go as much as you do, but is this really a good idea? I mean, we _just_ got out of trouble, and we're not even sure if Kuvira is a legitimate suspect."

"Well, we have to start somewhere. And she holds all the power in the Academy. She should be the first one we look at." Korra rubbed her chin. "Besides, she's the teacher we have the most information on."

"How will we go about visiting the place, though? I don't think Suyin will be very happy that we're accusing one of her former leaders of endangering the Spirits."

"Easy," Korra said, smirking. "We'll just tell her we want to write a report about her city for school. The books they have on Zaofu haven't been updated in years and I'm sure she'd love to have her success documented even more now. See? Loopholes." Korra winked and tapped the side of her own head.

"Hah." The heiress smiled at the Avatar's quick thinking. "I guess we've got that covered then, too."

Asami wasn't sure why it felt like they were doing something wrong by barging in on Kuvira's personal life. After all, the fate of the world rested on Korra's shoulders. A little breach in privacy wouldn't hurt anyone as long as they were careful.

"Okay, we can go as soon as classes end. Should we bring Mako and Bolin?"

"I think we should," Korra said. "We've never taken a trip together, so it will be good for us to bond as a group with our new addition to Team Avatar. Don't you think?" Korra cocked an eyebrow and grinned.

The sophomore hadn't seen that trouble-making grin in ages. Korra was completely back to normal. Now they were both ready to take on their first adventure together. Asami smiled in response. "I think so, too. Let's do it."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go over to their dorm and pitch our plan right now!"

Asami hopped off the couch after Korra got up to collect her things. "Sure, let me grab my jacket before we go."

The engineer quickly walked over to the bed where she had carelessly tossed it earlier.

"Why are you always _so cold_?" the Avatar rolled her eyes, her hand curled around the doorknob.

"Why are you always so mouthy?" Asami smiled back. She slipped the garment on, adjusting the collar, then tugging the hem upwards twice to smooth out the wrinkles.

As she did so, the business card Kuvira gave her fell out and landed on the floor near her bed.

* * *

**[~3 years ago]**

**[** "Everybody else may think you're daddy's precious princess, but you can't fool me."

The girl that stood before Asami had on a glare that attempted to burn holes through the engineer's calm exterior, but she only received a passive glance as a response. Asami quietly got ready for their match, pulling her hair into her signature ponytail while mindlessly looping a shoddy game plan in her head.

It was the end of the training session and they were finishing it off with one last round.

Her father had demanded that she spar with more people of her height and weight, to sharpen her skills against those who also had fighting styles to suit their small build. Though Asami was quite tall, she was very slim, and often resorted to technique-based approaches rather than power-based ones.

Normally, her instructor would grab a student from his own class that he found to be a good fit for Asami.

Asami had a few instructors that switched out every couple weeks. She wasn't close to any of them, really. Most owned a school or a personal gym dedicated to training a particular art. Some taught at a few high schools and colleges. The instructor in charge of her today was her least favorite. Shin Nakagawa was a high school drop out but ended up winning multiple titles in the underground fighting scene in Republic City. He was quite unfeeling towards people in general, and all he cared about was being unbeatable. The students from his school all more or less came with or inherited the same attitude he had; ruthless, cruel, unwavering. It was a different brand of honor.

Outside of the ring, Shin was a minimalist instructor. He didn't talk very much, and he never smiled. He liked to show techniques to his students, then step aside to watch them fight it out until they'd bloodied each other up.

It wasn't her father's style to hire someone who's way of teaching was so crude, however, he decided Asami wasn't fighting to her full potential and needed a little more... _motivation._ Being exposed to people who fought dirty would be good for her, he had said.

After all, that's what the real world was like, and it would be better for her to learn how to handle it now. _  
_

_The real world...?_ Asami had said to herself, as she submissively nodded to her father and accepted her duty once again.

 _My age makes no difference..._ She ruminated. _Everything I'm going through now is already part of the real world._

Then came the pangs of being alone and afraid.

_This torture is..._

Asami was yanked back to the present as she saw Jo clicking her mouth guard in, stretching her lips wide.

The heiress' eyes fixated on the thin blue material protecting her upper teeth. The new Aeroguard 2.0, made specially for high-impact sports. Perforated, hard, and non-compressible, it allowed for easy talking and drinking. She had one too.

Her eyes shifted back to Jo Kim, her dyed brown hair swinging as she rolled her shoulders back and cracked her neck.

Asami had a regular rotation of about six sparring partners, always for one-on-one practice sessions. Her opponent today was a particularly vicious girl, despite being an even lighter weight than Asami.

Though the rotation of sparring partners never met each other, Jo knew that the others were taking it easy on the engineer because of the way her body reacted during a fight. Asami was never met with someone who had true intent on injuring her. Jo could tell all this, because the heiress never went for a real submission or knockout even when she had the chance to.

This was starting to grate on Jo Kim's nerves. Like her instructor, she wanted to be be the best. She wasn't in the business of babysitting so-called fighters who weren't intent on finishing the moves they started.

"Better get ready, princess," she sneered, moving on to the mats. "If you hold out on me again, I'm gonna make you wish you'd never been born,"

Asami said nothing, composing herself.

It was no-gi attire; both girls were dressed in striker shorts, Asami had on a rashguard, and Jo a fitting t-shirt.

Asami's eyes narrowed. She knew there would be the initial hesitation- though she wasn't sure why Jo liked to do this when she rushed in later on anyway- so she readied her legs to deliver the first attack. She wanted this to be over as quickly as possible.

Jo often used Muay Thai, which Asami had at first found peculiar. Her small frame required even more energy to be exerted in her strikes. It was very unlike Asami's TKD, which gained more momentum by using distance as power. She supposed Jo was too impatient to channel her attacks in bursts; so her bulldozing-style suited her just fine.

As expected, her opponent marched in place, distributing her weight evenly in a narrow stance, her two fists swaying up in front of her face, ready for grabbing and blocking.

Asami leveled her own fists near her torso, tucking them in for balance. She wasted no time in going forth, using her long legs to target the side of her head, urging the girl to make a move.

Jo blocked the strikes, using as much power to fend off the attacks so that Asami could feel her forearm colliding with her leg. The smaller girl smashed into the engineer's forefoot, the vibration traveling up Asami's ankle and then radiating back to the tips of her toes.

The heiress let out a controlled exhalation at each hit, trying not to overexert herself each time, despite Jo's force almost matching her own.

She went back and forth between spinning hook kicks and then snap kicks, anything so that Jo would stop stalling.

The smaller girl swiftly put another arm up to defend from the side, moving forward slightly, their skeletons meeting at one point. Pure bone against bone, eliciting a nasty cracking noise, the shattering impact moving up Asami's shin and towards her knee.

That was going to bruise in the morning.

Asami pressed on, her kicks becoming faster, but not being able to push the girl back. Jo stood, taking the blows like a rock, the fiery glint in her eye becoming ever present. As the engineer rained down the hits, and as her skin became redder with friction with every passing moment, her mind was beginning to tell her to be cautious. The look in Jo's eyes was one of menacing determination. It was a look Asami had never seen before, something that was akin to a rabid dog's demented stare.

The girl was mad, and she was going to snap soon.

Asami finally let down her kicks, throwing strikes forward with her fists, again blocked, so she spun and ended with a roundhouse kick to the face, which Jo dodged by moving her chin back a little ways so Asami's heel just skimmed the tip of her nose.

It was time.

She pummeled forward as soon as Asami took back her leg, grabbing the heiress' neck with two hands and crowding her in. Asami tried to move back but Jo had a grip of steel, her nails almost drawing blood from the engineer's neck, smashing their skulls together. Asami could feel the heat from the shorter girl's head transfer to her forehead as she was forced to hunch over. Sweat dripped off their skin, strands of loose hair sticking together messily.

Jo used her legs to knee her hard in the ribs. Pounds of crushing force, colliding into her rib cage, striking harder and harder each time. She could feel her heart being banged around her chest as the air was forced out of her lungs.

Asami tried to create distance, but the girl wouldn't let up. She attempted an uppercut, but the blows to her ribcage were far too rough, knocking the wind out of her before she could lift up an arm.

"Ngghh!" Asami groaned. She took the violent hits painfully, unable to take so much as one breath in. With a quick movement, Jo rotated her hips as she threw an elbow up and smashed Asami's jaw, violently shoving her teeth further into her mouth guard, throwing her on her spine. "Argh-!"

Asami brought a hand to her face, clutching it painfully and wincing.

"Get the _hell_ up," Jo said, circling around Asami.

The heiress winced, shakily getting on her feet and then coming down with kicks stronger than ever. She launched her heel into the air, just missing Jo Kim's chin, and an evil smirk appeared on the girl's face as she dodged the blow, wrapping her left arm around the foot and swiveling in. She tossed Asami over again, but the engineer regained her balance.

They fought like this a while longer, Asami's kicks becoming faster but never landing a direct hit.

Jo Kim was on fire. The smirk on her face grew wider and wider, taunting the heiress to become angry and lose control.

But Asami concentrated only on her own moves, never losing her cool to Jo's response time. She kept her breathing at a controlled pace, exhaling when appropriate.

Finally, Asami brought herself in close enough to land a punch with potential to break the girl's nose, but instead she went for a Judo throw, grabbing the girl's neck in the crook of her elbow, then taking her left wrist and pulling it towards her, her right foot hooking back around the girl's leg, making her trip. She was hoping the timer would beep soon.

They were both on the floor now, Asami's head buried next to the pinned girl's. Jo Kim turned her head to the side so that her lips were next to Asami's ear.

"You held out on me," Jo Kim whispered, her eyes glowing dangerously as Asami wrestled her on the ground with a shoulder in her throat. "Are you looking down on me? What, do you think I can't take a punch from your manicured model fingers?" She rolled in towards Asami, shrimping out of her position and creating distance, her small but still powerful body using every kind of leverage to push, push, push.

"I will fucking _kill_ you," she hissed loud enough so that only Asami could hear as she got out of the hold.

Not that the instructor would care.

He was on Hiroshi Sato's orders for Asami to spar till nine or until she could no longer move.

The only option was to become stronger. That was _always_ the only option.

At the time, Asami didn't truly identify as a fighter. It was just something, like many other things, she did because her father decided that it would be best for her. Talk of things like perseverance, honor, and respect were of little interest to her. Her instructors taught her because they had to. She fought because she _had_ to.

And she'd do so however she pleased. Whatever it took until she heard that timer go off.

Jo Kim, however, took martial arts to the next level. But she was also driven by her ego, and she didn't find Asami to be anything close to a worthy opponent, no matter how trained she may be. Jo took fighting personally, insulted by anyone who didn't have their heart in the match.

Asami was just another prissy little rich girl who earned nothing, not even this fight. And yet here she was again, withholding her very self from engaging in the match that _Jo's own_ instructor dragged her into every week. What made Asami so special? Nothing.

She was worth squat, and she was wasting her time.

Jo was done with these weekly games of tag. She was going to finish her _now_.

And she was going to do it in the most brutal fashion.

They were standing again now, and she had thrashed the engineer all the way into the corner of a wall. Though another instructor would have had them reset in the middle of the mats, Shin did nothing but observe them.

Jo started to mercilessly lambaste her fists into the heiress' gut, beginning to make her spit blood, allowing no recovery time.

Sweat flew off Jo's forehead as she released all the aggression that had built over time. She had spent months withdrawing her punishing blows, waiting for the heiress to finally come down from her high horse and fight like she meant it. But she continued to refuse.

Now, Jo was going to push her past breaking point.

Asami couldn't breathe. It had been a long day and she wasn't in the mood for Jo's temper tantrums. She took the punches like a champ, knowing that Jo would continue her rampage this way until she fought back or screamed for mercy. Even then, it was unlikely she'd stop. She didn't bother biting her lip, knowing she looked desperate as her mouth opened for air and failed to even properly inhale it. For a moment, Asami hoped that Jo would kill her right then.

She had no happy place to go to in times like these. Where did her mind drift to, as the walls closed in on her?

What did she think about, when the doors were locked, and her nightmares came to life?

Pain.

That's what Asami would think about. All she _could_ think about.

Everybody she knew was consumed with so much pain.

"Your father's right about you, you know?" Jo started to knee her again, making her soft insides bruise with agony. "You're weak. You can't even stand up for yourself when you know you want to."

Asami squeezed her eyes shut, huffing out air, her gasps starting to become raspier with each hit.

"It's funny. You think you're strong for smiling through the abuse, but it's because of that attitude, people like you can never do anything but suffer," Jo muttered, punishing her.

Asami's eyes squeezed even harder, trying to zone in on the pain, trying to block out the cutting insults.

"No one's on your side. Not even you."

Anymore damage inflicted on her stomach, and she would go numb soon...

"Hah. I knew it. You really are pathetic."

She wouldn't give in. She was not a fighter. She would not…

"Look at you, taking it like a little bitch," Jo Kim grit her teeth into a half-grin. " _Just like your mother_ ,"

Asami's eyes widened, her senses crashing into her again, gripping onto that last sentence. It rang in her ears like an alarm, it spread through her veins like poison.

A fire ignited within her. It burned with hate, with resentment, with all the anger she had tried to barricade up until that point.

No one, not even Jo Kim would get away with such a low comment.

Asami collided her skull into the other girl's nose, breaking it and blasting her backwards.

" _You fucking piece of shit!_ " She screamed, rage exploding in her eyes.

Asami had lost it. She came into her view immediately as Jo tumbled on the ground, straddling her and raining punches down on her face as the girl attempted to block her with her hands. " _You think you know everything about everybody, but you don't! You don't know jack shit about anything!"_

Jo desperately tried to hip up and out under Asami's grip, but the punches were coming down too strong for her to command the rest of her body. The heiress poured her last stores of energy into beating the pinned girl to a pulp, blinded by her rage, her anguish manifested as the struggling girl. She had to _defeat_ her.

Asami was tired. She was tired of her father, of these training sessions after school hours. She was tired of acting happy when she wasn't, she was tired that she never felt like she had owned anything. She was tired of being alone.

Why did it have to be her? Why did her mother have to die? Why couldn't _she_ have been _stronger_?

Asami continued to pummel her victim, her instructor remaining calm as the scene unfolded before him, making no attempt to step in until he was sure the other was about to die.

Asami's grunts were unrecognizable as she continued to let go, the girl underneath her howling in an unintelligible manner. It didn't sound human.

Animals. They were all animals that deserved to suffer.

And now, she was a monster too.

It went on like this for another minute, until she realized the wetness staining her hands were from the tears streaming down her opponent's face. Only then she noticed the blood leaking from the side of Jo's head.

She had perforated the girl's ear drum. Her begging sobs had dulled into a pathetic whimpering.

"H-h-holy shit!" Asami got up, horrified.

She looked back down at Jo, who's eyes were wide with pure fear, her face marred with blood and tears. She was shaking.

Asami staggered back.

It wasn't so much the blood that frightened her; it was the look on Jo's face as she stared back up at the heiress.

She knew it was the same expression she had when she found out her mother was killed.

The look that told her everything she loved was going to end.

The instructor had come forth to kneel beside Jo, oblivious to the emotional trauma both of the girls had just riled up in one another. All he saw was another mixed martial arts match that had ended with one person too injured to continue. "Yep, congratulations on your first cauliflower ear," he said as he squatted down, patting her face with a towel.

The timer beeped.

"I… I...," Asami knew what she must have looked like, with her sweat-stained clothes, quivering hands, and bloody knuckles.

She looked no different than a murderer.

"I need to leave...," She kept her eyes on Jo, the girl's horrified gaze plastered on her face.

The heiress' mouth hung slightly apart, and her hands had begun to uncontrollably shake. She had lost control, just like her father. Her heart wouldn't stop thumping in her chest.

She leapt out of the door and ran towards the empty park in the twenty-degree weather. How she had any energy left to run, she didn't know.

Tears started to stream down her face as she dashed down the empty streets, running past homes with their lights still open.

She could hear the giggles of children, of dinner plates being set on the table. She could hear the static of the radio come from inside the brick walls, of parents arguing about which channel they should listen to.

She could have been born in any one of these families, in any other place, at any other time. She could have been happy. She had crossed the line, and there was no going back.

_Someone... Anyone... Please help me..._

She could see the park. She'd have to cross the bridge, the one that had a fence at the end that she could easily jump over. It was blurry in her vision, and in the dark, the tall, knotting trees made it look like the entrance to hell. The branches jutted out sharply from the depths, the swings stayed disturbingly still.

She had nothing left. Nothing left but this hell of hers.

It was just beginning to snow, but she didn't feel cold.

She didn't feel anything at all. **]**


	8. Beginnings

**[~8 months ago]**

**[** The stranger's voice was smooth as silk, inviting herself into the Avatar's consciousness.

"…Is this Experimental Psych Cognition 258?"

Korra gave a sidelong glance at the interruption and was met with a pair of flashing green eyes and dark red lipstick. The girl in question rested a thick textbook on her hip with one hand while holding a coffee in the other. Her cheeks were lightly flushed with crimson, evidence of the powerwalk she had taken to get to class on time.

"I sure hope so," the Southerner smirked back up at her, frosty blue eyes capturing striking emerald ones.

Raven-colored tresses cascaded down the front of the older girl's chest like a waterfall. She wore contrasting red and black attire- a curious mix of Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom traits. Korra took note of her manicured nails, stylishly chic outerwear, and delicate face; most people would be drawn to such an exquisite combination of seductive feminine features.

But the Avatar's initial curiosity faded as she continued to scan the stranger's appearance, reading all the blaring signs which cued that she wasn't from Korra's typical crowd. The freshman looked her up and down once more before losing interest, and turned her attention back to the front of the room.

"Thanks."

The newcomer rounded the back seats and sat at the very opposite end of Korra's row. She took out a notebook and pen, and then a small mirror to check her makeup. As she dabbed on a finishing touch of lipstick, people were already turning their heads to whisper about the arrival of their most recent classmate. Korra scanned the room lazily, sighing at herself for coming ten minutes too early. It was her first day at the Academy and she didn't have anyone to sit next to and fool around with before the next bell rang.

Suddenly, she noticed that a hum of hushed gossiping had emerged from the previously dead silent room.

_Ehr... What just happened? Why is everyone so chatty now…?_

Just as she was about to lay her head down, she caught sight of Mako and Bolin standing outside the doorway, the younger brother waving at her furiously. Her eyelids snapped all the way back as she was removed from her trance once more. "Hey, you guys! C'mere—what are you doing?"

The boys entered the room, quickly jogging up the shallow steps. "We're right down the corridor," Bolin said. He pointed behind himself, indicating the entrance to a different lecture hall some feet away. "We noticed you were dying of boredom."

"Fix your face," Mako said, pushing his index finger into Korra's cheek, who responded by swatting his hand back. "The teachers here _will_ call you out if you don't look interested. Do you really want that on your first day?"

"I can't help it! There's still hours before real training starts and I'm getting super restless here." She lifted the hem of her shirt, revealing a sculpted abdomen. "This six-pack doesn't come from reading and writing, you know."

Korra flexed her core and a few girls across the seats from her giggled.

"There will be plenty of time for that," Mako said, pulling her shirt back down over her toned stomach.

"It's just that I've been waiting _all_ summer for this, preparing with Tenzin and keeping up a strict diet regimen. I need to be where the action is!" Korra explained, obviously eager to see her work pay off. "I can't wait any longer."

"I know you're more than ready for this, Korra, but listen to me. If you look like you're going to fall asleep in class, they'll—"

"—Whoa, wait a minute you guys, is that who I think it is?!" Bolin cut in, putting two hands over his mouth and gasping. "It's- it's-" He did a goofy dance, as he always did when he found something interesting catch his attention.

"Do you have a wedgie or somethin'?" the Avatar chuckled, but she was only given a pointed digit back in response.

Korra followed his gesture all the way back to the girl who had bothered her a few minutes ago. "What are you going on about?"

"Don't you know that's Asami Sato?"

"Who?"

"The only child of _Hiroshi_ Sato, the guy who makes the Satomobiles! That's his daughter right there!"

The Southerner slipped an elbow over her chair and leaned back to get a better look at her. She raised an eyebrow as she searched her memory. "Oh. Huh. Yeah, she does look kind of familiar."

 _So that's what everyone's excited about,_ Korra thought. "I guess that's why people have been murmuring these past five minutes nonstop..." She shrugged, putting her chin back in her hand. "So, you were lecturing me Mako?"

"You mean she's been sitting next to you for five whole minutes and you didn't say anything?!" Bolin said, giving her a shake. "Go over there and talk to her!"

"What? _Why_?" Korra asked, an averse look on her face. "There's nothing I have to say to her. Why don't you go talk to her yourself?"

"Because you're in the same class. It will be more natural," Bolin reasoned. "Ask her to do homework with you or something."

"Bo, it's the first day. We don't even have any yet..."

"Mako, how did you never mention this to me?!" Bolin asked, nose-to-nose with his brother.

"Because of _this_ behavior." Mako replied. "I know you tend to go into fanboy mode so I didn't want all the celebrities at the Academy to distract you from your finals." He ruffled his brother's duck-tail hair. "Anyway, yeah, she goes here. She's in my year."

"Aaaand why are we still talking about this?" Korra asked, waving a hand back and forth. "She's just some girl who has a famous dad."

"Dude, I've wanted to own one of their ultra-fast race cars since I was kid. Those things are _sleek_ , man! Right Mako?!"

The Southerner rolled her eyes. "You can ride Naga any time you want," she offered.

"Seeing his daughter here in the flesh is so, so cool!" Bolin excitedly whispered, still jumping around lightly. "It's like she's an _extension_ … Of Hiroshi… Just sitting there."

"Okay, now you're just being weird. She doesn't look that special to me."

Mako folded his arms and laughed, sensing a little insecurity coming off Korra. "Don't be so fast to peg her as your typical college girl. She's the highest ranked student in physical combat, and there are a lot of people that look up to her. I've never had the time to see her fight, personally, but her name is at the top of the scoreboards every semester..."

"Yeah, yeah, but what else does she do? Can she _bend_?"

"No, which is why she's even more dangerous than she looks. And, she's an engineer. Isn't that a lot already?"

"So she's smart. Big deal." Korra said, rubbing her nose, hoping the teacher would come anytime now. "All you've told me is that she can fist fight and do hard equations. I don't need to know that basic stuff. I need someone that'll go toe-to-toe with me on every possible level. Someone to help me master _all_ the elements."

"I don't know, Korra. She's pretty well-received around here, and that's a pretty hard feat to achieve in the Academy, where being remarkable is… well, normal." Mako said. "Maybe you should try going up against her sometime. I'm sure she'd be able to teach you a few new things."

Korra let out a snort. "Ha! Like that will ever happen. I have no interest in her, and I'm sure the feeling's mutual." She squinted back at the heiress one more time, who was currently engaged in conversation with two admiring freshmen. "I mean, just look at her. She's so... prissy."

Like Asami, Korra had also been greeted by curious stares and whispers since her arrival at the school. Attention was something the Avatar was accustomed to wherever people recognized her. She had expected it, despite Tenzin warning her that the novelty of being special wore off very quickly at the Academy.

It was that same warning that made Korra bothered by the older student's presence. This Sato girl could trigger the same kind of reactions the Avatar was receiving on her first day. Apparently, the 'novelty' of being special had never worn off for the heiress. A girl that was so opposite to her...What made _her_ so great?

 _She must be some kind of know-it-all type,_ Korra thought.

Mako shrugged. "Suit yourself."

A middle-aged man entered the room, a large scar grazing the side of his head, spooking everyone back into silence. He stopped at his desk but didn't sit down. He glared across the room in the Avatar's direction. "If you boys belonged in this class, you would have had a seat by now."

The brothers gulped, realizing they had overstayed their visit.

"S-sorry sir, we'll get going right away," Bolin said, pushing Mako towards the front of the door and scurrying off.

Korra noticed that the man who just walked in didn't carry a bag or any notes. Was he so knowledgeable that he could teach off the top of his head for the next two hours? She watched him remain standing as he looked left and right, familiarizing himself with new faces. Korra's eyes narrowed, wondering who this next teacher could be. He talked slowly and firmly with the tone of a man who did not like to repeat himself.

"Good morning everyone, welcome to Cognition 258. My name is Zaheer, and we have a lot to accomplish this semester." **]**


	9. Crumble

"Okay, Bolin, what do you think? Are you in?"

"A secret mission to the most technologically advanced city in the Earth Kingdom... Hmm... Do you even have to ask?" The smile on Bolin's face grew more and more excited as the two girls filled him in on the details. "Of course I'm going! How are we going to get there, though?"

"We can borrow an airship from Future Industries, no problem," Asami said. "One of my guys can fly it out here tonight or tomorrow and land it in some open space."

"Well, how 'bout you, Mako- are you in or out?" The Southerner asked.

"In the name of _justice_...!" The firebender grinned and dramatically pointed a thumb at himself. "...I don't really have much of a choice, now do I?"

Korra rolled her eyes at the quip. Ever since the start of his internship at Republic City's police force, Mako had been making work-related jokes all over the place. She made a mental note to hit him the next time he came up with another one.

"Alright, so it's all settled. We'll leave for Zaofu the morning after classes have officially ended."

"So what's the game plan?" Mako asked, clapping two hands together and leaning forward, elbows on his knees.

"Game plan?" Korra and Asami looked at each other hesitantly. "Um..." Asami bit her lip while Korra's twisted into an awkward smile. "We don't really have... one...?"

"You're kidding, right?" the older brother said. "You guys were just going to march into Zaofu and hope everything would work out?"

"None of us have ever been to Zaofu, or know anyone that lives there that would know the layout. The only thing we have is this..." Korra produced a piece of parchment from her bag. "It's a map we took from one of the books at the library. The drawing only goes into detail in certain places, and I'm not sure if this covers the entire city."

Bolin and Mako peered in closer at the hand-drawn map, little bits of ink bleeding into microscopic cracks in the paper.

"Korra, did you _steal_ this?"

"It's the only thing we have that can assist us!" Korra said defensively. She pointed a finger at him. "Look here, Mister Officer-man, what's more important: the spirits disappearing or a map disappearing?"

Mako rolled his eyes and went back to studying the paper.

"That's what I thought," Korra said, folding her arms. "We can't make any solid plans right now because there's only one place we can start." Korra rubbed her chin in thought. "The matriarch is pretty much the center of all the information we need, so we have to focus on building conversation with her. We'll have to find out who Kuvira's family is, where she went to school, and who she spent time with."

"And that way, we know what sights to see and what people to pay attention to," Asami finished. "It will make sense that we have a lot of questions for Suyin, 'cause we're technically tourists."

Mako scratched his head and sighed. "Alright, I guess that'll work as long as we don't look too eager for information."

Korra nodded. "Suyin was kind enough to offer us places to stay, so we have to be on our best behavior."

"Did you hear that, Pabu?" Bolin said to the furry creature, who hopped from his left shoulder to his right. "We're going to be living like Earth Kingdom royalty for a whole week!"

" _Best. Behavior._ " Korra repeated, her eyes narrowing.

"Yes ma'am!" Bolin saluted. "No obvious disorderly conduct here! Only discreet trouble making allowed, we got it."

"Remember, guys, we have to make sure our real intentions aren't revealed to _anyone_ in Zaofu," Asami warned. "It might leak back to Kuvira somehow, and I'm not ready for another surprise tournament."

"Me neither," Korra huffed. "And I'm sure you two aren't so keen on having your first, either,"

"Nope. Not at all." Bolin shook his head rapidly. "Our lips are sealed."

Korra took a moment of silence to look at each of her friends, making sure they were all on the same page.

She locked eyes with the heiress last, and an image of Asami rushing at her with blades suddenly flashed through her mind, and her gaze dropped immediately.

Korra felt her resolve falter once more.

"Guys... you really don't have to do this," she said, looking at the ground. "It's risky, and if Kuvira finds out, we could all get expelled. I don't want to jeopardize your chances of graduating after we've worked so hard to get here..." She gripped her arm, tightening fingers around her bicep, waiting for her friends to back out of the plan. "I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me."

"Korra." Mako said, his voice low and firm. "I wouldn't agree to something I didn't want to do. And neither would Bolin." He looked over at his younger brother.

"He's right," Bolin said. "We've got your back. We always have, and always will."

"Despite the way you landed the mission, with your rule-breaking ways, it's still your duty to complete." The firebender teased, giving her an earnest smile. "Just don't cut class anymore."

Korra smiled at the reassurance, gaining her confidence and standing back up. "Okay, that's the plan then! Thanks for your help, everyone," Korra finally said. "I won't let you down. I promise."

"We know you won't, Korra." Asami gave her a gentle smile. "Let's all just rest up as much as we can and tackle the last day of classes tomorrow."

The Avatar gave a nod of confirmation. "Then we'll see each other again in two day's time."

* * *

"Kuvira. May I come in?"

The metalbender turned around to find Baatar standing in the open doorway, unsure if he was interrupting something. She had been looking outside the window watching the campus turn dark, her forehead partially nestled in her palm. He knew that was the position she assumed when she was in deep thought. He didn't want to encroach on her contemplations, but he had urgent information to deliver to her.

"Yes, what is it?"

She brought her hand to her side, now fully facing her fiance. She was still wearing her uniform, despite the fact that school hours were officially over and she should have been getting ready for bed.

"I just received a call from Hiroshi Sato."

The woman's eyes narrowed at the mention of his name. "What did he want?"

"He said his daughter borrowed an airship from Future Industries to make a week-long trip for this coming break."

Kuvira folded her arms behind her back, annoyed at the seemingly random and impertinent information. "I have no concern for what the Avatar and her friends do on spring vacation."

Baatar pushed up his glasses and exhaled slowly, bracing for the impact of his next words. "Sato has a small team that monitors his daughter's activity. Any vehicle or machine she uses has information sent straight to him." He paused, looking at Kuvira directly. "The coordinates she punched in were set for Zaofu."

Kuvira's eyes widened and her lips pursed tighter, but she said nothing. The two stood still in silence. The room had become dark and the lights had deliberately not been switched on. Baatar could no longer read the expression on his lover's face.

"Shall I stop them?" he asked, waiting for a command.

She looked outside the window once more.

"No, let them go."

"But Kuvira, they're there to dig up information on you. That's the only explanation for why they'd travel to such a place, of all times... Our plans could be revealed...!" Baatar said, his voice raised with concern.

"Even if they did find out our plans, there wouldn't be enough evidence or information to stop us," she said.

"But... that's your hometown. If they learn more about you, they might be able to exploit some weakness of yours-"

"-I have no _weaknesses_ , Baatar," Kuvira said with an ice cold voice, sharply cutting him off. She turned back to face the window completely. "Please, leave. I need some time to think."

The nonbender tensed, deciding if he should continue to intervene. Though Kuvira never took _no_ for an answer, she could sometimes- rarely- be reasoned with into changing her mind. He looked at the back of Kuvira's head, wishing she'd turn around and go back to the tender days when they talked more openly. Her hair remained tightly cocooned into a bun; just like her former self, locked away under all her armor.

He gazed at the metalbender for a while longer, still as a statue and inaccessible.

Finally, he relaxed his muscles in defeat, nodding towards the ground. "Alright. I'll leave it to you, then."

* * *

**[Years ago]**

**[** Baatar ripped the metal blindfold from his eyes. "Kuvira, stop that! That's cheating," he whined, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting from his fallen position.

"No it's not." Kuvira replied, giving him a playful smile and sticking her tongue out.

They were outside the Beifong estate, and the sun was beginning to set, giving off an orange glow that encapsulated the area.

"It's no fair! Use the stuff mom taught you, bend some rocks at me! I learned all the steps to do it. It's not the same with metal strips, they're too hard to see when they fly through the air."

Kuvira raised an eyebrow. He must have been talking about the moves Suyin had taught her a week ago, showing her how to dodge multiple shards of rock being launched at the same time. The earthbender shook her head and walked over to him.

"There's no reason to overexert yourself if you have good technique," she said, offering him a hand to help him on his feet. "Why force yourself to become something you're not?"

Baatar had asked Kuvira to train with him after school every day so that he could become a fighter. He had read about how there were many nonbenders who became worthy challengers with the right amount of training. Even the best benders could be left helpless if their ability to use the elements was wiped out. Maybe if Kuvira taught him, he could become a different kind of master. He wasn't athletic, but he was smart. Then he could even learn how to chi-block on his own time…

"But I… I should be stronger than you," he lamented again, his eyes welling up with tears. They both knew this wasn't an expectation from the beginning, and that he was just finding reasons to be angry. Kuvira had always been naturally gifted at earthbending, and there was no doubt she'd become a great metalbender some day too. She had already adapted a signature technique that required a good eye for precision, accurately slapping metal blindfolds around her opponents eyes to render them useless. She was thirteen.

He hiccuped, knowing he was too old to be crying over matters he had control over, but that fact made him only more flustered; Wing and Wei would surely make fun of him for this...

But he knew Kuvira wouldn't.

Still, he turned his head away from her assistance, remaining on the floor.

She put her hand closer to his face. "Just because one thing doesn't work out, doesn't mean the rest of what you try will end up the same way."

Baatar wiped his eyes, sniffling.

"You're good at using your mind more than your muscles. Train your strong points. Try concentrating on one thing first," she suggested.

"But I want to be tough like you and my baby brothers!" Baatar looked back up at the girl, and saw a sympathetic expression on her face. She hadn't moved her outstretched arm.

He sighed, taking her hand, thinner than his own, allowing to be pulled up again. He dusted himself off, and looked at the girl who was currently a little taller than himself. She looked back at him and then at the sky, silently standing there surrounded by the warm air. She closed her eyes, feeling the fading rays of the sun gently bake her tan skin.

They hadn't done much talking when they were younger. Now that they were reaching a certain age, and had begun to understand their place in the world a little better, they had slowly warmed up to one another's company- enough to have daily training sessions.

Baatar stole another glance at Kuvira, who's eyes remained closed, inviting the yellow orb in the sky to caress her skin, feeling its life-giving warmth. He watched her as she slowly tilted her chin up, her young face at ease. Her braid seemed to be getting longer every day. Her entrance into young adulthood started to bring out her sharp chin and prominent nose, once hidden by baby fat. And as always, she had a loose curl of hair hanging around the right side of her face.

He wondered if she inherited that look from mother.

Baatar remembered the day Suyin introduced the idea of taking in the eight-year-old earthbender.

 _'She'll be staying in the room next to yours, Baatar, so be respectful_. _You're the oldest so you've got to set an example for your siblings.'_

He had nodded obediently in response, briefly wondering why his mother was more sullen than usual as she spoke. Zaofu took in strangers all the time- misfits, outcasts, those that needed a second chance. Perhaps this girl was special- she was about his age, and she was going to live in the Beifong mansion with the rest of the family.

Would he have two sisters now?

_'She's… been alone for quite some time, and she doesn't need to suffer any more than she already has.'_

She then put a hand on his shoulder, gripping it a little too tightly. She looked at him square in the eye.

_'I want you to treat her as your equal.'_

That was the last thing his mother had said to him before leaving the room.

He always tried to recall what hidden message her face may have given away, but he could never remember for sure. He thought he had seen something very fragile in her eyes when she gave that instruction.

He didn't understand why she had told him that; he was never one to look down on anybody. Even at a young age he was shy and reserved. But he had nodded anyway, not thinking much of it, going back to tinkering with his makeshift inventions after she got up and left.

Baatar often wondered if his relationship with Kuvira would have been different had Suyin not talked to him that day. Technically, she should have been considered his adoptive sister, and yet… He didn't consider her that way.

There had always been a distance between Kuvira and the rest of the family. Since getting to spend more time with her, he couldn't help but notice all the small ways both his mother and Kuvira maintained the rift. And it had begun to bother him, like a hot iron poker of guilt. There was a loneliness buried in Kuvira's heart that was well hidden. From their interactions, the Beifong son knew she was putting up a front. He could see it, but his mother couldn't.

Or maybe… She did see it, but chose to ignore it.

"Alright, I guess that's it for today then," Kuvira said finally, giving her arms a good stretch. "We can practice again tomorrow if that's what you really want."

Baatar nodded, watching the girl give him one last wave as she turned back for their house.

Why was Kuvira always so patient and helpful…? There were many newcomers to Zaofu that ended up forgetting their humble beginnings. Yet Kuvira had always remained respectful, resigning herself to an almost subservient manner despite being totally capable of taking advantage of her situation.

His resolve to keep quiet began to waver. It must be so lonely for her, having no one to turn to…

"Kuvira, wait…"

The girl looked over her shoulder. "Hm?"

"You know… um…" Bataar scratched his cheek with his index finger. He wasn't sure what he wanted to say exactly. But it had to be better than another simple thank-you, for all that she's done for him. "You know… that…"

Spirits, how was he supposed to say it without seeming intrusive?

"That…"

"I know that—?" Kuvira was completely facing Baatar now, ready to hear what could be so important that it was turning him into a stuttering mess.

"—That mom really likes you and wants you to be here with us, right?"

He gasped a little bit, surprised at himself for being so direct as his words caught the earthbender off guard.

Kuvira's eyes widened at the forwardness, an embarrassed blush lightly flushing her cheeks. "Wha- What…?" She didn't know what brought about such a topic. She never talked about Suyin with anybody. "I don't, um…" She coughed, trying to regain her composure. She would handle this neutrally and respectfully, as she always did.

"Your mother is… The kindest, most generous woman I know. What I've been given has been more than enough. I owe my life to her." She bowed her head slightly at Baatar.

There it was again. That unnecessary formality…

Bataar's eyebrows knotted, perplexed. He knew Kuvira was lying to him, that there was something bubbling underneath the surface. It wasn't fair that she shouldered that pain on her own.

"It's just that…" Baatar's voice was shy, and he knew he was touching a sensitive topic, but he didn't want to let it go. Kuvira seemed to be the _only_ one that understood and listened to his troubles.

Unlike his mother, who didn't know what to do with him except make him into a carbon copy of Baatar senior.

Unlike Wing and Wei and Huan, who could all metalbend skillfully.

Even Opal had her own special place in his mother's heart, being the only daughter of the matriarch.

Kuvira was… important to him. He would establish a connection, somehow. "I notice how you act around her. And I notice how she lets you keep doing those things to separate you even further…"

Kuvira stiffened. "I don't know what you're talking about."

They were two peas in the same pod, weren't they? He, unable to fight and never quite feeling like the rest of the Beifongs.

She, having no real roots to turn to.

Baatar's eyes were humbly lowered, even more so than they usually were. "We're happy you're here, Kuvira. And you're her favorite student. I don't know which one of you is trying to keep a boundary, but please, just know that you're family—"

Kuvira's fist tightened. "—There's nothing to worry about, Baatar." She feigned the best smile she could. "Really. You don't understand. Your mother _built_ this utopia and I was one of the first few to be granted a home in it." She walked over to him and put her hands on his shoulders. "No one wanted me, Baatar. _No one_. Except your mother."

Baatar's shoulders drooped a little, hearing how there was an underlying acceptance of helplessness in her voice.

"What your mother did was selfless. I would never ask for more."

It hurt him. Kuvira had mentioned joining the City Guard one day, to protect her home and to lay down her life for the Matriarch. He had no doubts that Kuvira meant what she said. But he also knew that there was something else present in her voice.

From teacher to student, Kuvira's relationship with the matriarch would just become master and servant. No matter how much she writhed at night, enduring that stinging pain, Suyin would never recognize her as her real daughter.

"I have to go now," Kuvira said, turning her back to the then-shorter boy.

As she walked away, the nonbender clutched his forehead in anguish. **]**


	10. Embrace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I know I'm back way earlier than my proposed hiatus, but I really want this Zaofu arc done before the start of the school year. So, here you go. OU O

“Mmmnhh…” Korra murmured, stirring lightly from her curled up position in bed.

The room she was taking a nap in had no windows, meaning no external noise to muffle all the activity going on in her part of the airship. She could detect the perpetual hum of the engine rumbling underneath her, and a faint clanking of pipes. She groaned again; her eyelids were far too heavy to be bothered, carrying weight from sleep she didn’t know she needed. She subconsciously pressed her ear further into the pillow to hear—to search for—more.

Not long after, her senses were alerted to a mild shuffling coming down the hallway.

Though she was just rising from her afternoon nap and her awareness remained fuzzy, she could hear the door creak open and then close, followed by soft footsteps pattering in.

“’Sami…?” Korra muttered.

Half-lidded eyes blinked slowly, adjusting to the dimly lit environment. She couldn’t remember how long ago it was when she first dozed off, but it certainly wasn’t in this room.

The freshman rolled over, nuzzling her face against the cool fabric.

Her eyes blinked wide open as soon as she noticed the faint scent of roses next to her, _too close to her_ —buried into the second pillow that her head was not laying on. The warm blanket she was under had been pushed up all the way to her side, so that there was a vacant space on the other half of the mattress. Her eyes rolled around as she observed the folds and creases in the cushion, confirming the Avatar’s suspicions: someone had been resting next to her, in _her_ bed for the last hour, while she was sleeping.

“Korra, I’m sorry. Did I wake you…?”

The heiress’ soothing voice instantly made Korra’s heart clench tighter in realization, blood pumping her awake.

“N-no, it’s…” Korra rubbed at her eyes, turning on her left side to catch a glimpse of the engineer. Asami walked around the bed, tray in hand, a steaming cup and plate of biscuits resting on it. “…I was just getting up.”

“I hope you don’t mind…” Asami said. “I had Mako carry you over here once you fell asleep on the couch. I thought maybe the lights were too bright in the lounge and you’d rest better in here.”

Korra smiled at her friend and sat up, causing her dark brown locks to unravel over her bare shoulders. That’s when she noticed her ponytail had been let out. She clawed at the loose strands, combing them out so they wouldn’t become unruly.

“And… I ended up taking your hair down for you so you’d be more comfortable, too.” Asami took the cup from the tray and held it between her two lily-white hands.

Korra felt her heart flutter at the thought of Asami tucking her into bed. It was too bad she wasn’t awake to experience it.

“Thanks Asami. I appreciate it.” Korra looked the heiress over, noticing how one side of her head was more matted down than the other. Her dark red blouse had two of the top buttons undone, with the sleeves rolled up. The black miniskirt she wore was crinkled from being bunched together for too long. The Southerner looked at the pillow then back at Asami. “You should really hang out with the guys more often, though. You’re going to be stuck with all of us for several days, so you might as well start breaking the ice now.”

“What do you mean? I was hanging out with them the entire time,” Asami said, gripping the cup tighter and then nudging it into the freshman’s hands.

Korra accepted the drink, raising it to take a sip with a low chuckle, surprising Asami. “Wow, never thought this day would come…”

“What day?”

“The day when I’d finally catch you lying through all your smooth talk,” the Avatar gave her a knowing look as she grinned, pearly whites standing out in the shadowy room.

Asami gave her a poorly crafted look of ignorance, earning another smirk from Korra, who responded with a tilt of her head in the direction of the pillow’s glaring evidence.

“Oh,” the engineer said softly, slapping her head lightly with her hand and hotly blushing.

 _Adorable_ , Korra thought. Up till now, Asami had always had the upper hand in teasing her.

“I don’t mind it, you know,” Korra said, taking a biscuit and popping it in her mouth. “Though I thought we had a deal. If this friendship is going to work out, you’re gonna have to be more open about what’s really on your mind.”

Asami shook her head. “I know, I… I should have just said so… Sorry, it’s just…”

Korra took a biscuit from the tray, the sweet glaze shining from the minimal light, and pressed it up to Asami’s closed lips. “Just what?”

Asami complied, opening her mouth so that her ruby red lips formed a beautiful O-shape, then clamped down on the cookie with her teeth. She giggled as she kept busy munching, stalling Korra as long as she could before she had to fess up her explanation.

After waiting more than ten seconds for the sophomore to finish chewing, Korra kicked off the blanket covers.

“If you don’t swallow that I’m going to kick you out of my bed,” Korra said.

“But it’s _my_ airship,” Asami countered.

“You really want to play that game?” Korra said, leaning forward and giving the older girl a devilish smile.

Asami grinned at the challenge. “Bring it on, _Uh_ -vatar,”

Korra pounced on Asami, causing her to laugh so hard that she was unable to use her normal reflexes to defend herself. The Avatar grabbed Asami’s shoulders and the engineer put a knee into Korra’s stomach to keep her from closing in and trapping her. They rolled out of the bed and onto the carpeted floor, bumping into the walls and then the bed posts.

“Haha, Korra, wait—“ Asami pleaded as she felt Korra jabbing her in the ribs with two fingers, making the heiress jolt whenever her ticklish spot was hit.

“You want me to what? What was that?” Korra cackled as she tumbled on top of the girl, pinning her legs down with her knees and trying to keep her still.

“Ugh, you are so stubborn!” Asami jerked underneath her in an attempt to escape, but Korra had already gotten the advantage by mounting her stomach.

“I demand answers!” Korra roared humorously, finally catching Asami’s wrists in both her hands and pinning them above her head as well.

Asami’s chest had begun heaving up and down from her strained but futile efforts. She wiggled back and forth, trying to bump Korra off her to no avail.

After struggling pathetically for a few more minutes under the Avatar’s unmatched strength, Asami released the tension in her body and completely relaxed. “Okay, alright! I surrender,” she was still giggling, a tear rolling down her cheek from all the excitement.

She exhaled, and a contented smile graced both of their faces. This moment symbolized the start of them forgetting their duties for the week. Asami was free from her normal responsibilities of being a future CEO. Korra had no scheduled fights or training she had to stay on top of. They’d be spending just one week, chilling out in the coolest place in the Earth Kingdom.

Korra remained on top of Asami even as the mood dropped to a much calmer state once again.

“So why were you in my bed, huh? It’s unlike you to be so blatantly anti-social…”

From Asami’s view, she could see all of Korra’s muscles, ripped and flexed as they held her down. The heiress’ previously elated face turned neutral in thought when she noticed the small beads of sweat remaining on Korra’s skin. Asami knew the source wasn’t from their tussle, but from an hour ago when she was holding Korra in her arms as she slept.

Earlier, Asami had just finished putting the blankets over Korra when she realized that the freshman’s knotted brows hadn’t relaxed the entire time she was fixing her for bed. The sophomore could only assume that Korra had a lot on her mind… about her duties as the Avatar. As a college student. As a friend.

They were already having such a good time, though, Asami didn’t want to ruin the mood by reminding Korra of the real purpose of their trip.

“…I came into bed with you ‘cause the boys insisted that the lounge’s temperature stay at the coolest setting possible. And this is the fuzziest blanket I have.”

Korra raised an eyebrow. “Oh really…?” Of course, the airship was massive, and there were many rooms with most likely the same blankets Asami could have used.

“…And… You just looked really comfortable, so I wanted to snuggle with you,” the heiress admitted.

Korra smiled and allowed Asami to sit up and cuddle against her. The Avatar chuckled, grabbing the blanket and pulling the sheet over themselves, wrapping it around both of their bodies so they were swaddled together.

“Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

She felt Asami fumble with her hands so she could snake it around Korra’s waist.

Korra wasn’t sure when their friendship had crossed the line to include the comfort zone of long lasting full-contact, but Korra didn’t care anymore. It was spring break, and she had an overwhelming urge to just feel _good_ for once in all this. If that came from holding Asami closely, then dammit, she would let her do it.

“Are you always this touchy-feely with your friends?” Korra asked.

“Only with the ones I care about,” the heiress smiled.

Korra’s warm, strong arms encircled Asami’s torso under the blankets as well, their bodies now completely pressed to one another’s. Korra buried her nose in Asami’s hair, whispering softly.

“I’m really happy you’re here,” she said.

“I am too,” Asami was positioned so that her legs were slumped further out on the ground, making herself smaller than Korra as she rested her head in the crook of her neck. “Can we… stay like this for a while longer?” she asked as the freshman gently brushed her long hair.

“We can stay like this for as long as you want,” Korra answered, holding them together even more tightly.

As the warmth from Korra’s body radiated to Asami’s, the heiress could feel her eyes get heavy. The airship rocked ever so slowly as it sailed through the calm wind, and soon, the engineer closed her eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

  **Zaofu, Day 1, Late afternoon**

"Welcome to the home of the Metal Clan,” the authoritative but feminine voice greeted the four students. They had just touched down in one of Zaofu’s outer domes and were disembarking the airship, their suitcases in tow.

"Thank you so much for having us," Korra said, walking up to the matriarch and bowing respectfully.

“And thank _you_ for having such a great interest in Zaofu!" Suyin smiled warmly. "I’m so glad you could all make it here today.” She then gestured towards the tall man beside her. “This is Aiwei. He'll be traveling with us this morning, and escort you to your rooms afterwards.”

The dark-skinned man came forward and bowed, his eccentric jewelry piece glinting from the sun when he raised his head again.

“He’ll also be your personal tour guide—just for a day—of your own choosing, of course. I know you kids didn’t come here to be babysat," Suyin remarked, earning a chuckle from the students.

"We really appreciate you letting us stay with your family," Asami said. "It was very generous of you. We would have been fine staying at one of the new hotels, honestly."

"Oh no, that wouldn't be appropriate for the Avatar and guests from the Academy." Suyin said with a disapproving shake of her head, then motioning for everyone to follow her to the tram. "I forgot to ask—what class are you doing this for?"

"It's for our history course. Our teacher wants us to connect how the past has shaped the present, and we've recently been discussing ancient and modern societies,” Korra explained. “And since you’re right next to a place that’s ruled by a monarchy, we figured, well, you know…”

"…That it would provide a good comparison to see how your city functions independently from that system,” Asami finished.

“Plus we thought it’d just be a fun place to visit. Now that the college kids are returning home, we heard that the city has more events at this time of year." Mako said. “Zaofu is becoming quite the hotspot for Earth Kingdom tourist attractions.”

Bolin nodded. "And we heard you have a top notch chef that used to work on a pirate ship!" He licked his lips and rubbed his stomach in a circular motion.

Suyin laughed upon hearing all of the gang speak up about their knowledge. "You've already done so much research, I'm not sure what more I can help you with."

The four teenagers boarded the tram, rolling in their suitcases along with them. Korra could feel her skin ripple with goosebumps from both her excitement and the air conditioner which had been cranked on too high. Her adrenaline peaked as the doors closed smoothly behind them and they moved out of the station.

“Well if you’re looking for the best example of innovative societies, you’ve chosen the right place,” the matriarch said as the tram began to glide into the metropolis of sky-high buildings. “Zaofu is the pinnacle of modern technology, and a vision of the future.”

Asami giggled as she looked at the freshman’s eyes go larger the further they went down the monorail. Korra was astonished at how different everything looked from Republic City. While RC was often a smoggy illusion thanks to their bustling downtown, dark alleyways, and brown and beige homes- Zaofu’s streets were impeccably clean, and every building sparkled in the sunlight.

The citizens all wore the same uniform of green robes and metal accessories—very unlike the multitude of fashions they were used to seeing on their own streets. It’s not that Korra didn’t love that diversity about her hometown, but this… _This_ was the very definition of a futuristic utopian society.

Korra finally noticed Asami staring at her reactions and she blushed.

“Hah, sorry,” Korra muttered, forgetting she had a very expressive face and that she must’ve looked silly gaping at all the sights. “I haven’t been able to travel much being in a compound most of my life, and Republic City is the only other place I’ve lived.”

“I know,” Asami said. “It’s just really cute when you get charged up for things.” She moved closer to Korra and looked out the window with her. “It is amazing, isn’t it?”

All four students spent the ride speechlessly gazing up at the silver skyscrapers and towering buildings, holding multi-leveled malls, stores, and businesses. Bolin pressed his face up to the glass as he gasped in awe of the enormous statue of Toph Beifong.

“The city is made entirely out of metal,” Suyin said as they continued the journey towards the Beifong estate. “Zaofu consists of five different sectors, all connected by our state-of-the-art monorail system so people can travel throughout the entire city in a very short amount of time.”

Asami kept looking back at Korra, entranced by the surrealist scene the city immersed them in; all the metal structures seemed to glimmer with white and gold, reflecting the sun and making Korra’s eyes shine a heavenly blue. The heiress followed her gaze again and noticed the groups of Zaofu citizens that conglomerated near food carts and booths.

Everything was arranged in such a neat and orderly fashion, it brought peace to all four of the students’ senses.

The car finally came to a slow stop, and Korra had to be nudged by Asami to remember she had to get off.

Korra gave her a goofy smile as they stepped foot into one of the many courtyards belonging to the Beifong estate.

As they approached a large rectangular playing field, Suyin spoke up to introduce the two boys standing in it.

“These are my youngest, Wing and Wei—“ Suyin began until she was interrupted by a metal saucer suddenly ricocheting off one of the walls and flying towards her head. She unhurriedly raised a palm up, as if she had expected it. It came to a halt and was then bent back into the arena with a swift flick of the wrist, restarting the game again as it bounced off the pillars once more.

“Sorry ‘bout that, mom,” Wing called out. “Wei’s an idiot—“ he was forced to stop talking as he made a dive for the disc, abruptly bending it away just in time.

“They’re playing a game called power disc,” the matriarch continued, walking around the field so everyone could observe the match. The saucer ended up coming back to zoom over Wing’s head, triggering a loud buzzer as it impacted the net. “They invented it all on their own. You score by navigating the disc through those pillars and into the net of your opponent.”

“That looks fun! I wanna play,” Korra said eagerly, running up to the edge and waving at the two brothers.

“What a jock, am I right?” Bolin whispered to Asami, who tried stifling a snicker.

“Hey! I’m Korra! Can you let me have a shot at—“ The Southerner was cut off by a gloved hand pulling her backwards.

“You don’t even know how to metalbend,” Mako said, rolling his eyes.

Korra ripped her shoulder away from the firebender’s grip and walk towards the ledge again.

“Hey, is that the Avatar--?!” Wei called out.

“The one and only,” Korra said, flexing her muscles and then jumping down into the playing field.

“Nice to finally meet’cha, Avatar,” Wing said, walking over to her and giving her hand a strong shake. “I’d be honored to teach you metalbending whenever you’re free so you could play with us.”

“Awesome, how does tomorrow sound? We should all hang out and—“

“—Korra, Suyin’s about to show us to dinner,” Bolin said with two pointer fingers directed at the mansion up ahead. “You know I love you and all, but I’m a growing boy. Eat first. Talk later.”

Korra looked at the twins and then back at Bolin. She made a final turn to Wing and Wei with a pout.

“Don’t worry, you’re here all week, right? There’ll be lots of time to train,” Wei said.

The enthusiasm returned to Korra’s eyes and she nodded, running up to the edge of the field and earthbending herself to the top again.

“Okay, let’s go.”

“Before we go to dinner, we’ll show you the guesthouses so you can drop off your things first.” She looked to Aiwei who responded with a nod of his head.

“Of course,” he said. “Right this way, girls. We’ll be going through a different entrance.” he extended a hand in a direction opposite from where the boys were going with Suyin.

“We’ll meet up again in half an hour so you can all take some time to settle down,” the matriarch said, and they went their separate ways.

* * *

 “Whoa…” was the first thing that came out of Korra’s mouth after Aiwei opened the doors to their new home.

“I hope you’ll find everything to your liking,” the man said, stepping aside so that the two girls could enter.

Korra could’ve sworn the ceiling reached half the height of the Beifong mansion. The room was large enough to have accommodated several airbison. The walls were painted a forest green, and silver swirls of metal design ran the length of each wall.

“Please, make yourself at home. Suyin and the rest of the family will be waiting for you back at the mansion in half an hour. Please join them when you’re ready.” Aiwei gave a slight bow and closed the door behind himself.

Korra’s face, shining with excitement as she did a full three-sixty of the room, went blank as soon as her gaze fell to the two beds in front of her.

The beds… _The beds! Oh no!_

Korra could feel the heat creep up her cheeks as she stared at the two pieces of furniture, aligned with one another so closely they practically made up one giant, king sized mattress.

_They’re…!_

Korra could not register what she was seeing. Despite the room being large enough to position the beds in several different spots away from each other, they had been purposely placed directly next to each other.

There were so many spaces available to place them, in fact, they could have been on complete opposite sides of the room!

 _Why is this happening to me…?_ Korra thought. _I can’t tell Asami I want to move them… That’ll seem rude…_

The Avatar looked over to catch a quick glance of Asami to gauge her reaction. She was busy unzipping her luggage with the lid resting against the bed, _which means she saw the bed_ , seemingly unfazed by the fact that they’d practically be sleeping in each other’s arms every night.

Korra turned back to her corner, trying to seem busy with scouting the area. _It’s not that I don’t want to sleep near Asami, I mean, we’ve already slept together, back in the airship…_ Korra paused, realizing what she had just mentally declared. _Wait a minute…_

 _Wait, no—I meant we’ve slept with each other!_ Korra shook her head vigorously again, beads of sweat starting to form when she couldn’t form the right sentences in her brain.

 _I meant slept next to each other! We slept **next** to each other. Oh spirits, what is wrong with me?! _ Korra continued to internally berate herself until she felt a soft hand on her shoulder, making her jump.

“Korra, are you… okay?” Asami asked. “You’ve been standing there not saying anything for the past five minutes,”

Korra fumbled with her hands and rubbed the back of her neck. “Oh, yeah, I was just… You know, looking… For the shampoo.”

The heiress raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t bring any of your own?”

“No, no I did, I was just thinking that maybe they already had some…” Korra bit her lip, trying to stop her rambling.

“Well then…” Asami’s lips started to form a smile when she realized Korra was nervous about something. “…Maybe you should start your search in there,” she said, pointing at the bathroom which was on the furthest end from where they were standing.

“Yes, yes of course—shampoo—bathroom—I got it,” Korra said, dashing over to the door.

Asami chuckled rolling her eyes, setting her clothes in stacks on the clean, black metal flooring.

She shook her head, looking at the almighty Avatar pretend to be interested in the bathroom as she opened the mirror cabinet and then the shower curtains.

“Everything okay in there?” Asami asked, playing along with Korra’s pretend investigation.

“Yep, everything looks totally normal!” Korra said, raising her palm and then curling her fingers in to give an O.K. hand sign.

“Great,” Asami smiled back, stacking the last shirt on her pile for tops, then carrying them over to the large armoire and stuffing them in the bottom drawers.

Korra decided she had ‘inspected’ the bathroom long enough to find that they did not have any extra shampoo. The Southerner walked back to the front of the room where Asami was, pulling her own luggage to the foot of the bed so that she’d be able to face the heiress while unloading her belongings.

“This is pretty neat,” Korra said, taking out a few pajamas and laying them on her lap. “It’s kind of like one big sleepover.”

“Yeah, it seems like that, doesn’t it?” The engineer took out the Zaofu map and slipped it into her bag. “Though I guess it won’t be as much fun for the guys since they’re already been roommates…” Asami pondered, pulling out a small utility belt.

“Oh yeah, I forgot that we’re both used to living solo.” Korra sat on her heels and then looked up to remember something. “Maybe we should do one of those roommate agreement cards… you know, the ones they make us fill out at the start of every year,” she joked.

Asami shrugged casually. “I wouldn’t mind if there were some boundaries you wanted to lay out.” She stopped filtering through her clothes and looked up at the freshman thoughtfully.

“Oh, I wasn’t really serious about that…” Korra said when she noticed the heiress had stopped unpacking to give Korra her full attention. “Unless… there were some rules that _you_ wanted to set…?”

Asami shook her head, shrugging again. “No, I think I’m pretty easy to live with. I don’t snore loudly or make a lot of noise. Though I do tend to stay up quite late…”

Korra was slightly relieved at hearing the heiress’ lax attitude on rooming. It only came to her attention now that living with Asami for a few days would be different than just hanging out with her. Which she hadn’t even done much of. “That’s fine,” she responded, eying the two tables placed against each wall, near the middle of the room. “Those desk lights are pretty small so I’m sure it won’t keep me up.”

“There is one more thing, though…” Asami said softly.

“Hm? Okay, what is it?” Korra had finished unpacking her things, only then realizing she’d spent too much time dilly-dallying around the room and that they were probably holding everyone up for dinner.

She grabbed a zipper with one hand while putting another on the lid’s edge to keep the teeth together. Her luggage was old and it had a tendency to flop around if she didn’t hold it in place. She slowly pulled the zipper towards her, careful not to go too fast and nick the skin of her thumb.

“—I sometimes sleep in the nude.”

“OW!” Korra’s hand jerked all the way to the end of the suitcase, closing on her finger accidentally. She hissed in pain, a small bit of blood stinging at her paper-cut like injury.

“Oh—“ Asami covered her mouth to keep herself from laughing. “Oh— _spirits_ —Korra!” She shimmied across the floor on her knees, coming to the Avatar’s aid. “I’m so sorry—“ she snickered, unable to stop the half-smile on her face as she took Korra’s finger in her hand. “—I was just kidding, I’m sorry!”

Korra had turned beet red, and didn’t bother saying anything as the heiress tried to make up for her prank. Korra was so flustered she didn’t realize for a second that Asami had leaned her head forward, putting her lips close to Korra’s thumb.

She couldn’t see with Asami’s hair blocking the way, but—

“Asami— _what are you doing?!_ ” Korra all but yelled.

The heiress took Korra’s thumb out of her mouth, quickly swiping the wound with her tongue as she did so.

“Well, there’s been some research on human saliva aiding in coagulation with the enzyme called Thrombo—“

“— _I can heal it with my waterbending!_ ” Korra said, quickly taking back her hand and immediately uncapping her water bottle. She bent the water out, a soft glow settling on her finger for a few seconds, easily repairing the wound.

Before Asami could say another word to quell the awkward tension, a quick succession of hard knocks rapped against their door.

“Yo, open up, it’s us!” Mako said from the other side.

Asami quickly stood and ran to the door, letting the two brothers in.

“Oh good, you’re—“ Korra gulped in some air, “—You’re just leaving. I was afraid we were late already…”

“Nah, we’ve got a few minutes left to spare before dinner starts, though Bolin didn’t want to wait for you two…”

“Come on, you know how long girls take to get ready,” the younger brother defended himself. “Don’t say you weren’t thinking it too, Mako!”

“—Uh, Korra, are you okay?” Mako asked, distracted by Korra’s unusual change in fiery temperament. The girl just looked frazzled. “You look like you just ran a mile.”

The Avatar squinted, her chest still slightly heaving as her heart thumped in her chest. “Nope, just got a papercut,” she said with an exasperated look, holding up her thumb. “See? All better. Asami made it better. I made it better…” she muttered, unable to talk properly in full sentences.

Asami smiled brightly, trying to prevent the round of questions and back-and-forth she knew Korra and Mako would inevitably create. “So you two didn’t explore the premises yet?”

“Ehr—well, we figured we’d come here first, to see if there was anything different on your side of the guesthouses,” Mako explained, looking around the room. “Doesn’t look like it. Except for those beds. Why are they squished so close together?”

All four teenagers turned their attention to the aforementioned objects.

“Maybe they gave you the love hotel version by mistake,” Bolin laughed, slapping his knee.

“DINNER TIME!” Korra suddenly announced, jumping back up. She linked Asami in one arm and Bolin in the other, effortlessly dragging them both out of the door with her inhuman strength.

The Avatar smiled, then turning to the engineer. “I’m going to get you back for that,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Is that a threat or a promise?” Asami smiled back sweetly.

It was going to be a long week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments & criticism always welcome.


	11. Stifle

**Zaofu, Day 2, Morning**

With a sharp intake of breath, Korra lifted her spine off the mattress, arching her back as far as she could.

She scooted forward again as one arm stretched out towards the ceiling. She was still in pajamas, a white tank top with blue-grey sweatpants; her hair messily spread out over the pillow as she rolled around a little more. Her extended limbs relaxed slowly, assuming a carefree position that would have utterly disregarded the personal space of someone resting beside her.

However, instead of intruding on soft, milky flesh, her hand only reached for more of the expensive comforter.

_Has this all just been a dream?_

For a moment, her eyes squeezed together tightly before opening again to observe the surroundings. This was the second time she found herself in bed, comfortably tangled in freshly laundered sheets while being cradled in a balmy room temperature. The first time, she had woken to a beautiful CEO with a tray of hot tea and cookies. Now she was rising to a luxurious suite, greeted with a beautiful display of pine green hues and lunar silver decorations. The window curtains remained partially drawn, and bars of lemon-yellow sunshine had already begun streaming in, onto the floors and the walls.

Korra figured the dome's platinum petals were just pulled back a few minutes ago, and the sound must have woken her up.

_The dawn of a new day, huh._

The room's consuming green background and scattered cracks of light gave the illusion of a rainforest's canopy. It only added to the state of relaxation she was in—anything more and she would fall back asleep. Being on vacation felt good. _Really_ good.

But as much as she wished this state of nirvana would last, she knew it wasn't going to.

There was still a lot of work to be done, especially since she made such little progress with the matriarch last night. Korra hadn't really given much thought to interviewing Suyin about the city while simultaneously trying to sneak questions in about Kuvira. The Avatar ended up being rather silent at dinner, with the twins and the rest of the gang spent most of the meal getting to know each other.

Suyin had also informed them that not all the Beifongs were currently present. Korra had forgotten their names, but the matriarch mentioned that the last two of her children were busy studying for college entrance exams and couldn't make it for dinner. Supper ended up being nothing short of a feast, and Korra was sure everyone fell asleep the moment their heads hit the bed's fluffed-up pillows.

This morning was going to be a different story, however. They'd be meeting at breakfast to come up with a game plan for riding out the rest of their break—and subsequently, the investigation—to the fullest extent.

The city would be holding its semi-annual Music Festival later this morning, and Suyin had invited everyone to see her dance troupe's performance. They had also made plans to meet up with Wing and Wei later tonight. Apparently, there was another game that they eagerly wanted the Avatar to participate in. They said it would be a fun way to get to know Zaofu without having to go through the boring old tourist routine.

Korra took a deep breath in through her nostrils, holding the air in her lungs until it burned so that she had to exhale again.

Speaking of Asami…

She propped herself up on two elbows and looked over at the heiress who had fallen asleep at her study desk. Korra smiled. Even on break, the sophomore insisted on working to be the very best in her class. It was kind of strange seeing Asami like this. Even at home she was still put together, looking elegant in a messy ponytail with pajama shorts and a cute v-neck tee.

Korra watched her for a few more minutes, blue eyes softening at the sight. The young engineer was so absorbed in her studies she couldn't even bring herself to bed. Her snow white arms were neatly folded under her head and her mouth hung open slightly, a bit of drool dotting the corner of her mouth.

The sight of Asami going to sleep alone… then triggered an image of her waking up alone, as well.

A strange thought passed— _did Asami ever get lonely, too?_

They were both only children, after all.

As Korra watched the gentle rise and fall of Asami's shoulders with each breath, she was reminded of the early days spent training in the White Lotus compound. Back then, she trained from dusk till dawn, working as hard and fast as she could. Always pushing herself to the limit so that she didn't have to stay there one day longer than she needed to be.

She never wanted to go back to that solitude again.

The freshman glanced over at the papers strewn underneath the engineer. They appeared to be various sorts of circuit diagrams. _If she still had so much homework to complete over break, why did she even want to come with us? She should've just gone home to see her dad in Republic City. He's only a few hours away from campus, after all..._ She made a mental note to ask the heiress about it later.

Korra tip-toed out of bed, though it was unnecessary since the flooring was made out of metal and didn't creak. She gingerly lifted Asami's hair from her back to over her shoulder, rubbing circles on her spine soothingly. No response. Korra chuckled under her breath. She didn't take Asami for the type to sleep like a rock.

The heiress must have been exhausted from yesterday morning. After all, she had to get up earlier than everyone else to prepare the airship. Carefully, the Avatar scooped up Asami's thighs with one hand while supporting her torso with the other, lifting her princess-style.

"Alright… Up we go…" Korra murmured.

The waterbender placed her gently down onto the bed, pulling the thinner blanket over her since the room was already quite heated.

Korra walked to the mini fridge, packing away some of the leftover fruit from last night's dessert into a plastic tupperware. She grabbed a drawstring bag and dumped the contents in hastily. She looked over at the clock and then at Asami again, wanting to let the engineer sleep a little longer.

Korra decided she'd take a brisk morning walk around the estate and have a snack while she waited _. Get some rest, Asami. I'll just be outside for a little while._

Korra exited the guesthouse and immediately started walking in a random direction. She wasn't sure where she was going; any place she chose seemed welcoming enough.

As she continued her saunter up the hill, her eyes roamed over the courtyards, valleys, and seating areas. She came to a stop and looked around, deciding whether she should pick a real destination so she could sit and eat, or continue wandering aimlessly. She had time to kill, but not enough to take a full trip around the dome. The fields were colored a light green, and daffodils, among other flowers, had begun popping up all around the fields that inhabited the sector.

It seemed to be a defining and reoccurring theme in Zaofu.

Yellow, gold, green, white…

Dandelions, grass, mansion, courtyard…

Silver, emerald, ivory, jade…

…And then, a carpet of dark blue.

It appeared far past the Beifong mansion, on the very edge of the dome near a waterfall. It was a cloistered garden, secluded at the bottom of a small cliff. She hadn't noticed it previously; the overlooking silver structure could pass off as another seating area.

The columns that made up the large, sloping roofs over the walkways almost made the garden inside it disappear.

 _Interesting,_ Korra thought as she jumped down to the dome's second, then third lower level. She reached the bottom and stepped inside the cloister quietly. She cautiously looked around before taking another step, careful not to disturb anyone who might've had the same idea for a morning walk and ended up there with her.

When there was no one to be found, she made one trip around the covered walkway, observing the blossoming rectangle from the cloister's paved path.

 _These look like bluebells,_ she said to herself as she noted the color and shape of the flowers.

Her face remained blank as she stared at the quad of purple and indigo, consumed deeply in thought while the sun began its patient trek up in the sky. She stood there, unable to look away as the flowers danced airily back and forth from the pleasantly warm breeze. She could hear a faint ringing in her ears…

Then soft wind brushing gently past her cheek…

It felt like something else present was there… Like a strange reminder.

The flowers were _moving_ together, and that's when the nauseating sense of déjà vu hit her like a tidal wave.

The angle of the sun had begun hitting the petals, starkly contrasting each flower's light and dark side. Korra's eyes widened, her skin immediately rippling with goosebumps as she recalled the bizarre familiarity.

Her ocean-colored eyes fixated on the tiny goblets of deep violet as the sun rose to her shoulders. She could feel the rays of heat begin to cook her exposed skin. She could see the face of the petals become glaringly brighter while some remained hidden in the cloister's shadows. She felt a peculiar tug towards it, and couldn't resist it—one foot went in front of the other, and she gravitated towards the field until she found herself in the very center.

She saw bluebells shining in the sun. She saw the Diamond Flowers glowing against the pitch black night.

She _saw_ —

**_Avatar Korra_ **

Korra's eyelids shot open wide as flashes of blinding light took away the sight of the garden from her.

She was left with only words— words that weren't hers appeared behind her eyes, and burned inside her mind;

they appeared one on top of the other so that she couldn't read them...

They were talking to her, but…

**_She's trying to separate us_ **

Who were they talking _about_? The mild whistling began exponentially increasing in volume.

 _"Agh—!"_  
  
Korra grit her teeth, confused and shocked as the ringing grew louder and louder, sharp whispers of spirits from the forest filling her thoughts.

She'd never relinquished control over her body before; her head was suddenly being overwhelmed with voices.

And she _knew_ those voices… from the forest back in Republic City…

...and then from this _field..._

_What are you trying to tell me?_

**_Help_ **

**_Us_ **

New voices joined in now, hundreds of them talking at one time. The panicked sounds came out jumbled as they talked over one another, some of them shrieking with desperation and sadness.

She wanted to shut the noise out, just for a moment-

_But she couldn't._

The rush of foreign thoughts entered her without her permission, and the blood in her veins ran ice cold.

**_Why would_ **

**_she do_ **

**_that_ **

**_?_ **

Korra couldn't move a muscle, frozen in place as the spirits held her there and made her listen, as if she couldn't get the message because something was blocking her from receiving it.

Through all the wailing, one girl's voice slowly began to stand out from the rest. _Were these memories…?_

**_I did everything_ **

**_I could_ **

Korra was still trapped in the position she was standing in, arms twitching and mouth slightly open;

consumed by the awful weeping that streamed through her head and forced her to feel.

**_I trusted her_ **

**_and she tossed it aside_ **

**_like it meant nothing to her_ **

The emotions—she could almost _see_ them swirl before her eyes. She was tapping into something that wasn't hers.

Korra could only take short, shaky breaths in through her mouth as her body tensed with aching pain.

**_—Like I meant nothing to her_ **

Most of it was concentrated in her heart, like a burning sear, and it felt _physical_. Most of it, however, was straining her soul. It was the type of bitterness one would feel after losing someone close to them.

She felt the core of it—the cold sorrow lifted slightly as she tried to understand what was happening. She was able to bend down, reaching out to touch a flower until—

"Good morning, Avatar Korra."

Korra stopped, a fingertip away from the petal. She could feel the vision she was having suddenly zip back into nothingness. The voices immediately ceased, and only the humble whistle of the wind could be heard again. She'd lost connection to whatever was trying to communicate with her. Quickly drawing her hand back, she whipped her head around at the deep voice. "W-what?" she asked, looking very startled and then very irritated. She had to squint to make out his shadowy features, as the tall man moved towards her and blocked the sun.

Her furrowed brow relaxed slightly when she recognized who the man was. "You're… Aiwei, right?"

"Indeed," he answered, as Korra stood up to meet his gaze. "You're up much earlier than I anticipated. Are the rest of your friends around?"

"No, they're... still in bed…" Korra answered, gripping the side of her head, mildly disoriented.

"Are you feeling alright?" Aiwei asked with a look of concern as Korra stumbled back slightly.

"Yeah, I was just, um…" she shook her head and regained her composure. "…Could you tell me what _is_ this place, exactly?"

Korra gulped and looked down at the ground, the pounding in her chest slowing but still beating strong. What had just happened? Her heart… it _hurt_. She wanted to clutch at it but she didn't know how much Aiwei had seen.

"A meditation garden," he informed her. "It's also a quiet spot for simply unwinding and relaxing. Though most of the Beifongs prefer the courtyards, where things aren't so… closed off. Only the matriarch likes to come here to clear her head and think."

"It's… absolutely beautiful," Korra said, looking around the garden one more time. "I've never seen anything like it before."

"Is that so?" he quickly retorted.

Korra scrunched up her nose at the unexpected provocation.

"…What do you mean ' _is that so'_? This is the first time I've ever been here," she said defensively. She lowered her voice when Aiwei raised an eyebrow. _Alright, cool it Korra, he just asked you a question_.

"I'm just… saying it's my first time in Zaofu, so I thought it was self-explanatory that I've never seen this garden before."

"Ah, a matter of miscommunication, then." Aiwei said, walking towards her even further. Korra puffed up her chest as he looked down to talk to her. "Most of the visitors… who like to wander and end up finding this place for the first time… Tend to stay on the walkway, you see?"

Korra kept her face even, though her eyes narrowed slightly at the tone the man was taking with her.

"…Of the few people that come to visit the matriarch at her home, each one who discovers this place has _avoided_ stepping foot in the actual garden." Aiwei lifted a long arm out to the side in a sweeping gesture. "I'm sure you haven't overlooked how majestic and noble these flowers are. In fact, that's what drew you here, is it not?"

Korra's lip thinned and she looked past Aiwei and then down at the field again as he continued talking. "With their vibrant color, they appear striking when gathered together. Yet, their petals bow downward in humility, giving them their famous 'bell shape'… it almost makes one feel as if they're intruding on something sacred."

The sun was now high in the sky, and Korra could see all his facial features, beaming almost sinisterly.

"I found you, however, at the very center. So forgive me…" his voice dropped to a deeper tone, sounding almost threatening. "…When I say that it didn't look like your first time seeing them."

Korra felt her muscles twitch, and for a second she was sure she was frozen in place. Did she want to run away?

"Because it looked like you were about to come across…" he leaned slightly forward, making Korra's eyes go wide and her heart picked up a racing pace.

"…A very important discovery."

Their gazes locked for several seconds, unbroken. Korra didn't make a sound as his steel grey irises bore into hers.

_He knows._

Korra's expression went from one of panic, to confusion, then anger because he didn't seem to want to leave her alone. Her first instinct was to tell him to back the hell up, but she was in no position to piss off one of the leads they needed.

Korra kept her gaze steady with the man as he continued to smile down at her. _But how much does he know?_

After a few seconds, Korra shifted her eyes around, wondering where this conversation was supposed to be going.

"Alright, well I don't know what you saw, but I gotta head back to my room to get Asami for breakfast." She huffed, forcibly breaking whatever corner Aiwei had tried to paint her into. She walked around the tall man, treading through the ocean of flowers to get over on the other side.

"Korra—" The man started.

The freshman's hurried walk paused and she slowly looked over her shoulder, delaying the inevitable. She didn't want to hear what Aiwei had to say next. He couldn't be trusted.

"I actually came out here to ask if you wanted a tour of the city today, if you didn't make other plans already," Aiwei said.

"I'm… going to hang out with my friends at the Music Festival," Korra said, quickly thinking up an excuse. It _was_ an eventual goal for Aiwei to show them around the city, but they weren't ready yet. With how close he seemed to the matriarch, he could be utilized, somehow.

"Ah yes, every college student's favorite time of the season," Aiwei said with a nod of understanding. "Then, I won't keep you. Don't miss out on Suyin's performance with her dance troupe."

"Wouldn't dream of it. That's actually the first thing we're going to see when we get there," Korra reassured him. "Don't worry about finding me. When we're ready for that tour, we'll be looking for _you_."

And with that, Korra exited the cloisters as calmly as she could.

As soon as she reached the top level of the dome, she stumbled to her knees.

"Nghh—!" A small cry of pain escaped her lips, tightening her fingers around the fabric covering her heart. Her skin was clammy and her chest ached.

They were running out of time.

* * *

The two girls stood at the entrance to the tram station, semi-patiently waiting for the two brothers to arrive.

Korra, at the last minute, made the decision to omit this morning's events from Asami when she returned to the guesthouse. She knew the heiress would worry about her, especially since Korra had felt actual _pain_ this time. Today would be focused on planning the rest of their trip, but it would also be another opportunity for bonding. There may not be a better chance to get to know the CEO on a more personal level.

The heiress had insisted on dressing up Korra in a concert-going outfit. She swapped the Southerner's usual baggy pants with dark blue skinny jeans, her tank top for a white v-neck, and her hoodie with one of Asami's fit leather jackets. That was as much as the heiress could get done without Korra ending their friendship.

The freshman was already complaining about how tight the jeans felt and what they would do if there was an attacker and she needed her legs to earthbend.

"This jacket's way too hot for this weather," Korra said, about to shrug it off.

"No, no!" Asami said in a little whine, bouncing up to Korra and putting her hands on the Southerner's shoulders to stop her. "It looks so good on you. Besides, we'll be in a tram, and then air conditioned stores all day. Plus I might need it later if we go to the mall."

Korra looked at the heiress who had puffed her bottom lip into a pout. Korra had a sense of urgency to kiss them to make the CEO smile again.

"Alright, alright," Korra grumbled, then just as easily smiling back as she looked at Asami for the hundredth time that morning. The engineer wore a floral spaghetti-strapped top and sky blue shorts. Her hair had been knotted into a big braid with a bright red flower clipped in.

It was very unlike her usual alluring attire, but Korra loved it. Who knew the heiress could pull off the innocent but flirty look too?

Spirits, she was _so_ cute. Korra wasn't sure what would happen the longer she was left with Asami by herself like this.

"Man, where are those guys? I told Mako to meet us at the monorail around nine—" Korra started before she heard a joyous yell in the distance. She quickly turned, her eyes landing on Bolin as he charged down the valley with his brother walking slowly behind him.

The boys were also dressed in their fresh spring attire. They both wore knee-length shorts, while Mako sported a red polo and Bolin wore a tank top under an open button-down shirt.

"Sorry we're laaaate!" the younger brother said, bounding up to the two girls. "Hey you guys!"

"Well somebody's energetic today," Korra said, grabbing his extended hand and pulling him forward to bump shoulders.

"Because we're having breakfast! _Together_!" the brother exclaimed, surprising Korra by wrapping her in a big bear hug. "Do you realize we haven't done this since the eleventh grade!?"

Korra looked over at Asami, not wanting her to feel left out. "Every morning in high school, we used to go for bacon, egg and cheese rolls at the food truck around the corner," she explained. "It was kind of like our ritual."

Bolin looked to the heiress and spread his arm out welcomingly. "And now, we have a new addition to Team Avatar's breakfast club!"

Asami smiled and politely stood still, unsure if he was inviting her into the embrace. She was caught off guard when Bolin forced himself forward with Korra still in one arm, catching the sophomore into their group hug. His muscled arms squished them together tightly, squeezing the air out of the girls and making them laugh.

As the younger brother released them both, Korra thought she saw the slightest flicker of sadness on the heiress' face. Before she could reach out a hand to ask her if she was okay, Mako had finally made his way over to the gang.

"So now's our chance to sit down and have a real talk with the elusive Asami Sato, huh?" the firebender said, walking up to her and smoothing his hair out a little.

Korra rolled her eyes.

"If I didn't know you any better, I'd say you were avoiding us," the police intern folded his arms and gave her a look of mock suspicion.

"Maybe I am," Asami returned. "Maybe I've just been intimidated by hanging out with the best pro-benders in the circuit," she said, lifting a strand of hair behind her ear and smoothly gliding by the conversation by inflating Mako and Bolin's ego.

"Intimidated? By us? Oh please, you should have seen Bolin's face the first time he saw you last semester in Zaheer's class," Mako said, slapping Bolin on the back and making him cough.

"Shut up," he said. "This is probably why she doesn't want to hang out with us," he muttered.

"Don't be modest. I've been to your games, and you've all got some serious skill," Asami said. "I'm actually a huge pro-bending fan."

"You are?" Korra, Bolin, and Mako all said at the same time.

"Yeah, I mean, I don't have time to go see the matches in person nowadays since I'm swamped with schoolwork, but it was basically my favorite thing to watch back in high school," Asami said.

"You never told me that!" Korra said, looking slightly pouty.

"It never came up," Asami shrugged.

"So… You've really seen us play before?" Korra asked. "…You've seen _me_ play before?"

"Yeah, I have," Asami said with a smile.

The Avatar's cheeks got slightly heated at the new information. What did Asami think of her back then? Did she even go to the games to watch the Fire Ferrets, or was it another team she was rooting for?

"Whaaaat, _mindblown_ ," Bolin said. "So it's like you knew us before we even talked to you!"

"That's right," Asami laughed, looking cheerful as she played to the boys' interests. Her body language reacted seamlessly; a beautiful face and a relaxed pose as their personal spaces melded into one another's. The tram finally approached and a set of car doors smoothly slid open.

"This is really crazy," Mako said as they entered the tram. "When did you start going to the games? Who's your favorite team?"

"Well, it started when my dad took me to a match as a kid and…"

The students talked throughout the ride as Asami made her first impression flawlessly. Korra found herself absorbed in the heiress' stories about how her father sparked many of the interests and hobbies she had today. It was the most Asami had ever talked about her family, or herself in general. Korra felt a slight pang of regret for not becoming friends with the engineer sooner. Mako had been right all those months ago.

She was not, in any way shape or form, the typical college girl.

The tram finally made its stop at the main dome, and the four exited with an official Zaofu city map in hand.

"Alright so these are the restaurants in the area…" Mako said as he pointed a finger on the blue fork and knife icon, skimming it around the map. "And we're right here. There are a couple restaurants around the main square, it's only a two minute walk from here."

Once they arrived, the crew finally decided on a nice diner overlooking the city's plaza. Mako pulled the chair back for Asami, who smiled sweetly and sat down, making the firebender blush.

"Thanks," she said.

"No problem," Mako responded.

Korra and Bolin looked at each other with one eye squinted.

"Alright," Mako said, handing everyone a menu from the pile near him. "So let's see here—"

"—Gimme that," Korra said, snatching the menu out of Mako's hands before he even had a chance to open it.

"Hey, I didn't even start!"

"—He stares at the menu for five minutes, going through all the pages one at a time, and then orders the same thing at _every_ diner," Korra said, looking up at the engineer.

The heiress lifted her hand to cover her mouth as she laughed.

"Do you eat pancakes, Asami?" the Southerner asked, turning over a page.

"I have a soul, so yes," the CEO joked. "What kind of person doesn't like pancakes?"

"This girl has the right idea," Bolin nodded towards Korra. "I like her."

After hearing what Bolin and Asami wanted, the Avatar looked over her shoulder, calling the waitress' attention. "We'll have four orders of the lumberjack pancakes with scrambled eggs, three orders of hash browns and bacon, and two coffees, an orange juice, and a milk."

The waitress nodded, scribbling the requests on her paper pad, then promptly gathered the menus and walked away.

"Oh I meant to ask you, Asami," Korra said, getting the engineer's attention. "I saw all that homework you had on your desk this morning. Do you want to leave early?"

"Early? You mean… leave you guys here by yourselves while I take the airship back with me?" Asami laughed but the other three looked at her seriously.

"I mean it. We can always travel to Ba Sing Se and then take one of the trains from there straight back to Republic City."

"Korra, I—"

"—I should have asked you if you had any plans before suggesting that you come with us." Korra said, putting her hand on Asami's. "My parents are too out of the way to visit for just a week, and Mako and Bolin don't visit their relatives very much in general. But you… You have a close relationship with your dad. Don't you want to go home and see him?"

Asami looked down at the dark hand clasping hers, considering her words. _No. Never._

"Korra, please," she said. "I want to be here with you. Our second day here has just started and I'm already having so much fun." The heiress made a face that looked like she was begging to be allowed to stay. "I've lived in Republic City for nearly twenty years. Believe me when I say I'm as excited to be somewhere totally different for a change."

Korra looked back at Bolin and Mako who's faces softened upon hearing the heiress' genuine desire to stay. "Alright. If that's really okay with you."

"Of course it is," Asami said.

Just as Korra turned back around in her seat, the waitress approached them with two trays of food in her hands while metalbending the other two trays to follow behind her.

"Here we are," she said as she set them down before the group.

Each of the students had a large stack of three pancakes, and Korra and Bolin wolfed theirs down immediately, Korra winning the unspoken race of who-can-eat-the-fastest. The first order of business, however, was to talk about their next step in the investigation. Korra wanted to go back and try her hand again with interviewing Suyin, but Asami suggested they look for the hidden library first. In their research, one of the magazine articles had briefly mentioned the underground Beifong Library.

"It's not really a library though," Asami explained. "Since the general public can't just go there of their own free will and take out books."

"And it's not exactly hidden, either," Korra said. "We know where the location is."

"And that would be…" the younger brother trailed off.

"Directly under the Beifong mansion," Asami answered.

Bolin slapped his forehead. "Well how are we gonna infiltrate that?"

"Well, if we were doing a _real_ report for school, it would require at least five different cited sources, right? There wasn't a ton of stuff on Zaofu at the Academy's library. I was thinking we'd ask Suyin to grab some files for our paper, and secretly follow her down there."

"Follow her? That's suicide. She has seismic sense, duh," Mako said.

Korra bit her lip as she rolled the fork handle between her fingers. "It's the only thing I can think of. It's probably locked, so who else is gonna open it for us? Not only should they keep sources on how Zaofu was built, I bet that's where they store the rest of the city's information—people's files, their family and personal history, their current role in the city... It's not like Zaofu has a ton of space. There's only one place big enough to keep all that intelligence. That's why getting to this library is an absolute must."

"Wait, that's it!" Mako said, snapping his fingers. "She's not the only ones with access to the keys."

The other three students looked at him questioningly.

"Wing and Wei might be willing to help us out if we can convince them it's really for our school paper," Mako said.

"You really think so?" Asami asked.

"It's worth a shot," the firebender said. "I'd say it's a hell of a lot better than just following the matriarch in. It's far easier to sneak around on our own time, without so many limits. Besides, even if we did slip through the door just as she did, how would we get out and lock it again?"

Korra finally nodded her head in agreement. "Alright, let's go with that plan. Even if Wing and Wei said no, they don't seem like the type to rat us out for going behind the back of authority."

"Tonight, then," Bolin said. "We can ask after that game they wanted to play. Their guard will be down."

The four students agreed in unison. Korra felt slightly better now that they were moving along somewhere.

After that, they talked mostly about school and midterms. Bolin was thinking about taking up a new hobby since he was acing all his classes. He wanted to try something different, something that would add a little spice to his usual routine. Asami said that it sounded like he needed a girlfriend. He rubbed the back of his head slightly and blushed, denying the suggestion. He insisted he really just needed a new hobby. A girl would be too distracting in his freshman year.

As they finished up their breakfast, the conversation rolled over to Mako. He was getting really sucked into his internship. He went on for a few minutes about all the things he loved and hated about the cops that worked there, especially how intimidating Chief Beifong could be.

"Why are you even at the Academy if you're planning on working for the regular police?" Korra asked, chugging down her milk and leaving a white moustache on her upper lip.

"Well, I dunno, maybe 'cuz I'm not like you, who's sole purpose in life is to save everyone with her Avatar powers—" Mako said, wiggling his fingers by his head to indicate such _powers_ , "—And I don't know what exactly it is I'm good at doing."

Korra let out a snarky laugh. "Don't worry Mako, I'm sure that whatever endeavor you pursue, between your choices of stiff police officer and killjoy vigilante, you will become the successful wet blanket you were always meant to be."

That made everyone laugh, and even Mako let out a small chuckle. Asami patted Mako's back as they poked fun at him. He turned to her and smiled. "Alright, what about you then, Miss Sato?"

"What about me?"

"You say your dad has influenced a lot, but is doing all this—being a CEO, being an engineer… Something you really want to do for the rest of your life?"

Asami swallowed the last of her food and brought the coffee to her lips, taking a slow sip as she considered the question.

"It's something that I feel is the right thing to do at the moment," she answered. "I don't believe anything is ever truly set in stone." She shrugged and set her coffee down. "If I find out that one day I'm meant to be in a traveling band, then, I'll go for it when the time comes."

The other three stopped chewing and looked up at her.

"What?" Asami asked. "Did I say something weird?"

"No, it's just…" Korra pushed the stray eggs around her plate. "…I haven't actually met someone who was that comfortable with what they were dedicating their life to. I guess it's somewhat refreshing to hear."

Bolin slid his glass of orange juice around in small circles on the table. "Even though I'm doing great in all my classes, it's nerve wracking to think about what I should be doing in the future. If I could, I'd just pro-bend all day. But that's not like, a stable thing, you know?"

"It's tough…" Asami said, drawing the eyes of all three students to her once again. "Not knowing the path you're meant to take is sometimes harder than being forced down a path you know isn't meant for you. At least in the latter option, you're traveling somewhere."

The four students fell into another interlude of contemplation. There wasn't much to say since they were all pretty much stuck in the same boat, except for the heiress, apparently. Korra suddenly piped up after glancing over at the diner's clock and seeing the time.

"If we don't leave now, we'll miss Suyin's dance performance," Korra said, jerking her chair back.

Asami waved the waitress down for the check. She zipped open her wallet and put the money on the table. "I guess the only piece of advice I can give is this..." she slid the check book back towards the table as the waitress came around to pick it up. Asami was speaking to everyone, but her eyes landed on Korra. "Whatever you do, you've gotta… keep moving," she said. "Even if the odds are against you. Because if you don't believe in your capabilities, who will?"

The heiress nodded and got up first, ending the conversation. The other three followed suit, gathering their things so they could head to the festival. Asami took one more look around the diner before she exited.

She turned back to the doorway, muttering one last reminder to herself under her breath.

"…You just can't afford to remain stagnant."


	12. Want

**[Years ago]**

**[** “Daddy?” a tiny voice had asked, accompanying the gentle tug on his long grey jacket.

Hiroshi turned to the source asking for his attention, only to find two bright green orbs staring back at him patiently.

He smiled warmly, crouching down to meet his daughter’s height.

“Well if it isn’t my favorite visitor,” he said with delight, putting two big hands on either side of Asami’s head and smoothing out her hair. He looked pleasantly surprised at the discovery—his daughter didn’t often come to his room on a school night.

The hours Asami spent studying instead of playing were longer than that of a regular preschooler’s. During the weekdays, she also attended private lessons and enrichment programs. She never once complained; the young student loved to learn and was diligent in completing all her assignments. As long as she was allowed to retire to her room, alone, at the end of the day, she was able to keep up with her busy routine.

Thus, the journey to her father’s study occurred almost exclusively on weekends.

Yet it was a weekday evening, and here the little girl stood, shyly asking for his time: how could he refuse anything that innocent face requested of him?

The corners of the girl’s lips turned upwards as she saw her father’s face beam with happiness. Asami loved going to him when she needed someone to talk to—her father radiated pure joy every time he set his eyes upon her. The man leaned down and picked the five-year-old up, walking over to the leather armchair to set her on his lap. “Now, what brings my little girl all the way over here? You know daddy’s room isn’t as nice as yours, or mommy’s.”

“I like your room the best.” The little girl said simply, curling into her father’s chest and trying to wrap her arms around him. Her arm span barely reached his other shoulder.

“Is that so?” Hiroshi chuckled. His hand stroked her back soothingly, his palm almost as large as her entire torso. He closed his eyes as he hugged her, cherishing the physical manifestation of everything he held dear. The warmth from the fireplace enveloped the both of them, bringing their hearts even closer together.

Hiroshi sighed happily. Those were the only sounds he needed to hear to survive—the comforting crackle of flames, and his daughter’s heartbeat.

His amber eyes glowed softly in the light as he leaned back to take a look at Asami. “…But there are no ribbons, no animals, no pretty things here to be found,” he smiled again, reaching around her head to adjust her favorite red bow.

“But I like other things, too, daddy.” Asami broke off her gaze and closed the space between them again, hugging his chest very tightly. She buried her face into his vest, like she had something to say but couldn’t.

When she did finally speak up after a few seconds, a slightly fearful voice trickled out.

“…Is that okay?”

Hiroshi frowned for a moment. He thought his daughter came for a hug because she had missed him. But knowing how naturally independent Asami was, her current behavior struck him as odd. She didn’t like to cuddle too much unless she had something on her mind. He gently tugged the child’s grasp off his clothing for a moment, and set her back down on his knee, making her look up at him.

“Asami?”

The child’s worried gaze met her father’s momentarily before being immediately downcast. It only took one word from her father, prodding her to share her feelings, to instantly make the suppressed emotion well up again. Her bottom lip stuck out into a giant pout as her head hung low.

“Oh, honey,” he said softly, immediately sensing her sadness. “What’s wrong? You can tell me anything,” he assured her, lifting her chin up again to gaze into those big green orbs thoughtfully.

The small child’s pout puckered side to side as she nervously bunched the hem of her nightgown in her fists.

“…I wanted to play with the toy blocks at school today, but my friends ignored me,” she sniffed. Her voice came out in a small whine as she recalled the rejection. She squirmed her shoulders up and down as her hands came together and she considered herself unsurely. “I waited for my turn but they never gave me a chance.”

A look of realization crossed Hiroshi’s face as his daughter recounted the day’s events. She bowed her head even further as her voice came out in a tone so despondent, it almost broke her father’s heart. “…Why would they do that?” she asked.

Her father’s expression of concern turned into one of sympathy as he watched his daughter writhe in place, looking very distraught. She was normally a confident child, but this event seemed to hit her deeply.

Being made to feel out of place in a crowd never did self-esteem any favors.

He brought Asami further up on his thigh so he could explain how those types of interactions, however unfortunate and unfair, would be a normal part of life. He placed two hands on her shoulders and tilted his head down to see eye-to-eye with her.

These were the kinds of conversations that were the hardest to have.

“Well, you see, sweetie… Sometimes people make assumptions about others. Do you know what an assumption is?”

The five-year-old nodded. “It’s when you think you know something about a person, but you really don’t.”

“Exactly,” her father said, smiling again. Turning things into a learning opportunity for Asami had always been an easy task.

“Children,” he continued, “Especially around your age, don’t have such a large attention span. So, they operate on things they can make plain assumptions about.”

He paused for a minute, looking around the room as if to find an example. “Things like… whether you’re a boy or a girl, or… how old you are… or, your hair color… even what kind of clothes you wear.” he cupped her face softly as he paused to see if she following.

“You mean… what I look like?” she asked, combing a hand once through her raven-haired locks, trying to understand.

“Yes,” he said, running a thumb across her cheek. “Appearances play a big role in making assumptions about a person.”

She was naturally elegant like her mother—attracted to all things fragile and beautiful. She often begged Yasuko to string bows into her hair for school or wind flowers into crowns when they had picnics outside. Her bedroom was lined with stuffed animals with friendly faces and charming figurines. In the center of it all was her bed’s canopy; large, billowy, see-through curtains draped down from it, masking herself like a secret treasure.

She was thoughtful, taking great care in everything that she did or said. She was able to see things for more than what they first appeared to be.

There was only one word perfect enough to describe her spirit.

 _—Lovely_.

Asami looked up at her father, this time with more curiosity.

“So they don’t wanna play with me because I look… different? That… I wouldn’t be good or fun at building blocks?”

Hiroshi squeezed both her shoulders lightly before answering, trying to cushion the blow of the disappointing truth. “That may very well be the reason,” he said.

“Oh.” Asami said in dismay, and a hurtful sensation formed in the pit of her stomach. She hung her head, feeling every bit of the sore pain caused by her father’s irrefutable knowledge. So this was the sad reality of the world she lived in.

It wasn’t normal for a girl like herself to be good at certain things.

Hiroshi watched his daughter take in the new information, her entire form practically wilting in the process.

The light that was usually present in Asami’s eyes left immediately, and Hiroshi felt a part of his soul go with it as well.

As he thought about what to say next, his heart begun to swelter with passion and rage—he _hated_ seeing that look on his daughter’s face. More than anything, he wanted to protect his little girl from every injustice life had in store for her. For girls and boys like her—who could easily become discouraged from their dreams. Those that wanted to be a part of something but weren’t allowed to participate because of the most trivial reasons…

He never wanted to see his daughter’s eyes become dull with the absence of hope, ever again.

“You know… when I was a boy, I shined shoes for a living…” he began.

The child didn’t look up, but he could tell she was listening because her shoulders stopped trembling.

“…My family was very poor, and I couldn’t afford to go to school, or have fancy private lessons like the kids from successful, rich families could. But it was always a big dream of mine—to invent something that would revolutionize the way the common man moved around this earth. But no one cared about my ideas.”

Asami shifted in his lap and slowly looked up at him. Who didn’t care about her father’s ideas? He was the most important man in the world. She rubbed her face, feeling slightly exhausted from this conversation.

“I was just a shoe shiner, after all. I didn’t fit the image of a great inventor,” he continued.

“But now you have Future Industries, daddy. And everyone knows how great you are.” Asami said, wriggling up to her father and putting her arms around his stomach.

“Yes, but none of this would have even existed—my company, the Satomobile—had I allowed rejection to define me. I could only believe in myself and my capabilities, and have the faith that someday, if I kept working hard enough, things would work out.” He paused, smiling down at the creation he loved more than anything in the world. “…And they did. Many years later.”

The little girl nodded, her face still pressed into her father’s vest. She still seemed disheartened, though some of her liveliness had returned as she squeezed his stomach tightly.

“Look at me, Asami,” her father said, his voice becoming unusually firm with her, and she jerked her head up. “If there’s one thing you should carry with you in this life, it is the willpower to never be discouraged by the actions of another.” Asami gulped as their eyes connected. _“Because that person is not you.”_

The little girl gave an obedient nod. Her father’s features were strained, and she knew that meant he was saying something very important. She didn’t quite understand everything he was telling her, but when her dad looked deep in concentration, that was her cue to tell him the truth.

Hesitantly, Asami pulled away from her father, and took out something from her nightgown’s breast pocket. She held a balled up fist in front of him, and slowly uncurled her fingers, revealing a handful of miniature gears, springs, and screws. His eyes grew in size as he recognized the pieces of the wind-up toy she had asked for her birthday last year.

“What’s this…?”

“I’m sorry daddy…” she said, looking at her hand and avoiding her father’s gaze. “I wanted to see how it worked. So I took it apart. But I’m going to put the pieces back together.”

Hiroshi was speechless. Asami had never expressed an interest in mechanics—had she been hiding it this entire time? He knew Asami had a whole set of figurines and wind-ups just like the one he gave her, lined up in her bedroom.

Everything was starting to make sense now.

“Did you… take apart the other ones you have as well?”

The little girl nodded, looking guilty. “I thought you would be mad if you found out… That’s why I wanted to build something new with the blocks at school instead.”  

Asami slowly tried to meet her father’s eyes, and was surprised when she saw the giant grin that had formed on his face.

For a while now, Hiroshi had been hesitant with naming and training the next heir to Future Industries. He had a couple employees in mind—people that had helped him build the company from the ground up. Of course, he would have preferred his successor to be someone from his own family, but he never wanted to force Asami into anything she didn’t want to do.

However, this discovery changed everything.

“…So you like to see how the insides of things work—is that correct?” Hiroshi said, his face getting more excited by the minute as he formulated a new plan in his mind.

Asami smiled brightly upon seeing her father’s positive reaction. “Yeah! It’s my favorite thing to do!”

"And you've been doing this all by yourself, in your room?"

The girl nodded energetically.

Now that he thought about it, his daughter’s math and science skills had always been exceptional.

Perhaps this idea really could work out, if she was willing.

“How would you… like to run my company some day, Asami?”

Her eyes grew as large as saucers, the pools of harlequin green expanding. She gasped slightly.

“Me…?”

“Yes, honey, I’m asking you,” he put a hand on her shoulder. “But I don't want to push you into something you're not comfortable with. I'll give you some time to think about it. Then you can let me know, and if you think you're up for it, we’ll get started as soon as—“

“ _Yes!_ ” Asami shrieked, lunging towards her father’s neck and grasping him closely. “Really daddy? You mean it? I can do it?”

“Yes, of course I meant what I said,” he chuckled, sharing in his daughter’s laughter and joy. “But that means we’ll have to be spending more time together,” he warned her.

The grip on his neck tightened exponentially, but only a soft voice came out to answer him.

“I love you so much, daddy.” Asami said as she leaned forward and closed her eyes, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world. She couldn’t believe it—her father had saved her again.

“And I love you too, sweetie. Remember that.” He kissed her head and combed his fingers through her long hair. He closed his eyes as well, allowing her to nestle in between the safety of his arms and his voice.

The room returned to the same silence it had when Asami had first arrived in his office.

Only her heartbeat could be heard over the comforting crackle of the flames.

Hiroshi tightened the hold he had on her back, and turned his lips to her ear, his voice just barely above a whisper.

“I will always love you.” **]**

* * *

“So, how are things going with you and Asami…?” Bolin asked Korra, just after the heiress and Mako left the crowd to get more snacks.

The younger brother turned to the Avatar as he sipped an extra-large slurpee, a curious look twinkling in his pastel green eyes.

Without turning her head, Korra’s blue orbs flitted over at her best friend and then back to the festival’s center stage. She had one hand stuffed in her pocket while the other held a smoothie. She shrugged a shoulder and started chewing on her straw. “Fine.”

Bolin arched an eyebrow, and faced Korra by leaning his shoulders back so that he was looking at her with his entire stance. Still, the Southerner refused to acknowledge his body language, mindlessly staring ahead.

“Just… _Fine_?” Bolin remarked, giving her a well-deserved look of skepticism.

Two hours had already passed since the start of the Music Festival, and Bolin and Korra were hanging out at the very back so they could access the food stands easily. There had been quite a large turnout, most of the attendees ranging from their late teens to early twenties. Upon arriving to the event, the gang had been hesitant about staying for more than an hour. They were not sure what to expect since the culture of Zaofu was so different from their hometown.

After the opening act of Suyin’s dance troupe, however, all four students knew they were in for a good time.

“Yes, Bolin, things are going fine. What else do you want me to say?” Korra said, trying to keep her face even.

She knew Bolin suspected something was up a long time ago—two and half weeks to be exact. That was when Korra went to him the night they snuck into Diamonds’ Way. He had teased her about hanging out with the heiress, and she brushed off the comment quickly. Unfortunately for her, Bolin could pick up most of Korra’s signals, even when she didn’t fill him in on the details.

She’d been spending even less time with the two brothers since then, leaving the earthbender to draw his own conclusions.

“Wow, are we really going to pretend we’re not having this conversation?” the younger brother said, standing his ground.

Korra said nothing, folding her arms as the third round of performances got up on stage to prepare for their show. They were setting up the ceiling’s fixtures used for the dancers’ cables, while a new set of instruments got tuned by a small orchestra. It was definitely a welcome change in pace from the upbeat music and loud rhythms that pulsed through the nightclubs back in Republic City.

Most of the festival’s transforming melodies were played by flutes, pipes, and various sorts of harps as the performers danced. In a sense, it was enlightening—it was a very cultivated form of art. There was a certain _beauty_ about metalbending that each performance brought to the audience’s attention, first and foremost. Unlike earth, metal could be moved like a liquid. Instead of being forced to stay grounded, most of the benders soared in the air as they swung and flipped around on their metal cords.

“Seriously, things are going fine. Great, even. She’s fun to hang out with, and now that I’ve taken the time to get to know her better, I’m thankful that we both ended up in Cognition, Part II this semester.” Korra said, trying to remain apathetic by answering with a longer explanation. She hadn’t taken her eyes off the festival’s main stage, and she knew what was coming next from the earthbender’s mouth.

“You like her, just admit it,” Bolin said, shaking his head because he already knew the truth. The fact that the Southerner wouldn’t even look back at him was already proof he was right.

Korra’s lip thinned. Why was he even bugging her about the topic if he was so confident about his theory?

_Here we go…_

“Of course I like her, if I didn’t, we wouldn’t be hanging out right now, would we?” Korra said, her fingers starting to curl into a fist in her pocket. She sipped on her strawberry smoothie even harder.

Bolin rolled his eyes with an exaggerated sigh. The Avatar was stubborn in all things—romance was no exception. He decided to take a different route to push her buttons.

“If you don’t make a move soon, Mako will,” Bolin snickered, quickly silencing himself by drinking his slurpee again.

“Bah!” Korra spat as she waved her hand. “Mako can do whatever he wants. Why would I care,” she mumbled while her fingers dug into her palm even tighter, nails embedding small crescent marks in her skin.

“I know you better than anyone,” Bolin said. “I’ve seen you. And I _know_ you have a thing for girls.” He raised his eyebrows as he closed his eyes resolutely, knowing Korra was about to fight his accusation.

“Girls? Psh, _what_?” Korra gave a sarcastic laugh. “So, maybe I act differently around them because we don’t often have the same interests. That doesn’t—“

“—And now that you’ve found a girl _with_ the same interests as you, there’s no hiding it. You are, whether or not you want to admit it, undeniably attracted to her,” Bolin finished, a smug grin taking over his features.

Korra sputtered. “W-where did you get that idea? We barely have anything in common! We don’t even have the same sense of style—“

“She’s one of the _coolest_ people we’ve ever met, and you know that,” Bolin said, beginning to list off the rest of her irresistible traits. “She can fight, and build, and drive cars, and she even likes watching sports! C’mon, Korra… You’re thinking it, I’m thinking it, and Mako is thinking it. She’s smart, athletic, pretty…”

“Okay, alright—“ Korra sighed, leaning back against the wall. “So she is all those things, but that doesn’t mean anything’s going on between us. We’re just friends.”

“Riiiight,” Bolin drawled on, accompanying his retort with a slow, passive succession of nods.

“Tch, Bolin—!” Korra closed her eyes and furrowed her brow as she was pushed closer to her breaking point.

“That’s why you’ve been spending time at her apartment having dinner together, and doing research together, and hanging out in gardens together, and…” He had started using his fingers to count the accumulating number of points against Korra’s alibi.

“All that stuff was coincidental!” Korra huffed as her cheeks tinted bright red. She threw her hands up and finally looked at Bolin, a triumphant grin still plastered on his face. “Look, I need all the help I can get to find out who’s responsible for the vanishing spirits. You’re busy studying for tests and Mako is always traveling to Republic City for his internship. Who does that leave me with then? Oh I know, the only other person that was _there_ with me the night of the warning!”

She snatched the drink out of Bolin’s hand and started inhaling his slurpee after finding that her smoothie had run out.

Bolin looked at his empty palm and then up at Korra who was busy trying to quell her sensitive temper. He chuckled. So that’s how it was going to be. He allowed the Southerner to ruminate quietly on her feelings.

It was funny. They hadn’t grown apart at all, even though they were starting to deviate in their adolescent journeys as life went on. Korra was still the same hot-head with a very vulnerable side to her. He, too, remembered the time when he had a small crush on the Avatar. Though things never worked out between them after their first dinner, making the leap had been worth it.

He was her best friend. Maybe he could help her take a risk for herself, too.

“…Ask her out on a date,” he said quietly. A subtle, genuine smile had formed on his face this time.

Korra closed her eyes for a moment as she bowed her head slightly, chin almost touching her collarbone as she sighed in surrender. She didn’t have any words to answer the earthbender. She didn’t need to. Bolin knew her well enough to read her behavior when she was admitting something.

_Maybe I… do have some feelings for her._

Her eyes drifted around the crowd until she spotted Mako and Asami laughing together as they made their way back, hot dogs and a few sodas in hand. Korra stopped searching, staring hard at the couple. Though Asami was a couple yards away from Korra, the heiress instantly caught those lightning blue eyes concentrating on her through the sea of students.

The engineer looked back at her and smiled.

Korra saw her reaction and her heart thumped in her chest much stronger than before.

_Maybe… This could work._

Bolin followed her gaze and saw his brother and the heiress approaching, about to close the distance between the two parties.

“Go for it. You may not get another chance as perfect as this one,” he whispered again.

Korra’s lip curled upwards into a pout as she seriously considered Bolin’s suggestion.

He urged her one more time as Asami paused her stroll to give Mako a soda. “Think about it. You don’t have any classes right now… So no obligations. No distractions. It’ll be just the two of you.”

Korra drew out her breath as she exhaled. Just last semester, she didn’t want anything to do with the famous Asami Sato.

How did things come to this?

“Okay,” Korra muttered as Bolin smiled wide at her acceptance. “I’ll ask her out.”


	13. Illusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How has it been 14 days since my last update...here, I couldn't wait any longer either. xD
> 
> There are still some things that need to be ironed out with this chapter, so as usual, I'll be making a few edits before posting it on FFN.

**[~3 years ago]**

Freezing rain showered down from dim skies, lashing bare branches against the window pane. The unbroken howl of the wind drew Asami’s gaze to the far end of the corridor, the noise louder than her own thoughts. Icy droplets clung to the glass and trickled downwards; she could almost feel the bone-chilling wetness on her own skin. The heiress shook her head and slowly made her way over to the marble staircase.

She stopped to take a look at the grandfather clock on her left. Moving closer, she examined the placement of the solid brass hands against the silver white dial, its metal face shining like a big moon over a walnut colored earth. It was a little past four pm and the school was getting ready to empty out the remaining stragglers.

The doors were in the process of being securely locked for the night. One by one, the lights went out in each classroom and the building darkened dramatically; only the hallway lamps had been spared to guide the way. A few teachers remained holed up in their offices, their doors all emanating a similar glow of light that seeped through the cracks. It wasn’t often that the heiress stayed behind to watch the school close down, but she had a meeting to attend and no intention of arriving one minute earlier than the scheduled appointment.

She sighed, knowing she was only delaying the inevitable, but today…

…Today, she really needed all the solitude that the abandoned halls would grant her.

She clutched her bicep, a grimace twisting her features as she kept walking. Her body instinctively shuddered as she massaged the flesh made sore from last night’s training.

“ _Ngh_ …”

She briefly turned around to make sure no one had followed her from the last stairwell, and when it was certain that she was in the clear, permitted herself to limp the rest of the way. She spent the entire morning and afternoon successfully hiding the stagger, and she was too exhausted now to keep up the façade when there was no one around that needed to be fooled.

She approached one of the locked classrooms, peeking inside through the door’s narrow glass opening. Her green eyes blinked curiously as she witnessed the transformation over to nighttime.

The rain had suddenly stopped.

Sparse afternoon light leaked out of pale grey skies and in through the closed window, imprinting itself on the desks in bleak little rectangles of muted blue.

Just a few hours ago Asami had spent English class in here, grinning as the girl next to her pursued the childish endeavor of flying paper airplanes while Ms. Kwon wrote notes on the blackboard.

She narrowed her eyes as the light faded out, blocked from passing clouds, then faded in again, simultaneously traveling across the table as the sun rapidly sank back into the horizon. Object interacting with object, constantly moving, but never _living_. Without any presence of human activity, this place was just another hollow shell. She was only left with silence.

 _Silence_.

She turned away and squinted up at the ceiling lamps, large, luminescent orbs that could be mistaken for a spirit of some sort, and a minute later she was at the foot of the winding staircase. She grasped the steel handrail for support before noticing the janitor come out of one of the classrooms. Asami immediately straightened herself out as she watched him, waiting to see if it was someone she knew on duty. He was spinning the master key ring around his finger, whistling as he finished up his rounds for the night.

She immediately recognized him by the blue cap he wore.

“Night, Bohai,” Asami called out, wanting to say goodbye before he left to catch the trolley home.

The man looked up and did a double take. “Oh, Miss Sato! How’ve you been? Hey, Akina was actually looking for you just now.”

The 16-year-old arched an eyebrow. “She was?”

“Mhm, I saw her just a minute ago and she asked if I’d seen you around.”

“Hm… I didn’t know she was still here…”

Akina was a high school junior like Asami, but one year older. They had ended up in the same homeroom freshman year and, after finding out they shared a common interest in martial arts, became good friends. The 17-year-old was a beautiful mix of Water Tribe and Fire Nation, with light, fawn brown skin, golden amber eyes, and wavy cinnamon hair that went past her shoulders. Her appearance was tall and feminine like Asami’s.

In terms of personality, though, Akina was the more carefree and talkative of the two.

Bohai closed the door behind himself, inserting the key and turning to lock it. “Yeah, but don’t worry about it, I’m sure she’ll find you. There aren’t many people left in the building anyway.”

Asami smiled gratefully. “Alright, thanks for letting me know. Stay warm—looks brutal out there.”

He gave her a good natured smiled and tipped his blue cap. “You get home safely too, now.”

Classes officially ended at three, but during the cold season, students had a tendency to hang around in the study lounge to finish last minute work. Republic City winters were particularly harsh since they were situated directly between mountain and ocean, a fact that only added to the reluctance of leaving a heated building too soon.

Asami found herself on the fourth floor teachers’ offices, wincing as she tugged her sweater’s sleeves past her wrists, face still twisted in pain. Most days, the heiress could ignore her damaged body in an instant. She was used to it—one deep breath and a single hand combing through her hair would bring her back from the previous night’s events.

But she was alone on this floor, too, and she allowed a shaky whimper to slip past her lips.

Sparring had become even more rigorous now that basic weapons were being incorporated. They were in the middle of using bolas, a throwing weapon that was used to capture running prey. The leather cords were hard to escape once they got a hold of her, leaving burn marks on her delicate skin when she instinctively pulled back to release herself.

Asami grit her teeth as she shifted her backpack from her body on to the wooden bench. She could feel every ounce of the weight pressing into her bruised flesh, moving from one shoulder blade to the other, down her bicep, then into her reddened hands.

_Hurts…_

Burning, aching, microscopic tears in her muscle tissue; eventually rebuilding themselves so she’d become even stronger than before.

Asami took a seat beside her bag, burying her face into her palms. Being at school after hours made her tired; she wondered what other people did when they got home after their last class. She remembered what she used to do as a child. Put on the radio, grab a snack from the kitchen, tinker with her wind-up toys. Now her life was a mess of everything… one third spent partying, two thirds getting the shit beaten out of her, the last third trying to connect with her dad beyond a superficial level.

Trying to get him to trust in the world again as she lost the will to have hers.

“Hey Asami!” a chipper voice jolted the heiress upright, sending a shot of pain through her spine. She whipped her head around at the greeting and the sound of clicking heels coming towards her.

Immediately, she stuck her chest further out to disguise the trouble she was having sitting up straight. One hand tightened around the edge of the bench for support, trying to lessen the ache that the posture cost her.

“Aki, hey!” Right on cue, Asami flashed a bright smile that erased all traces of discomfort from her face. “Bohai told me you’ve been looking around for me. Getting ready to go home?”

“Are you kidding? No way!” the light skinned girl answered, immediately dismissing the thought. “Looks like someone forgot what day of the week it is.”

The older girl bent down and rapped the heiress gently on the head. Asami flinched from the contact but quickly masked the reaction with a giggle.

“The Pro-Bending crowd is the wildest on Friday nights, you know that,” Aki grinned, clearly hell-bent on having another crazy night downtown.

“Oh… You guys are still going?”

“Yeah, girl, but obviously not without you! I almost thought you’d gone home, but the shackle was left open on your locker, and you only do that if you’re planning to return,” the junior smiled broadly, proud for knowing the heiress’ habits so well. “Anyway, If we leave now we’ll still be able to meet the guys before we head to the arena. Let’s go!”

She reached down to grasp the science student’s hands and attempted to tug her off the bench. She was met with Asami’s resistant grip, turning the heiress into a dead weight. “Holy _shit_ , have you been working out? Like… more than usual?”

“It’s the height of winter, Aki,” Asami quickly replied, ignoring the comment and releasing herself from the other girl’s hold. She hastily pushed up the sleeves that had sagged down from her palm, revealing just the edge of her wrist.

“Yeah, so? Tournament’s indoors,” the 17-year-old retorted. She opened the front pocket of her shoulder bag and displayed the edges of two ticket stubs. “Look, don’t worry, I already reserved you a seat so we don’t have to wait in line outside or anything.”

Asami shook her head. “It’s not that—I’ve got an appointment with Mr. Hamada in a few minutes, so I can’t make it.”

“I’ll wait for you then,” the brunette said insistently. “We don’t have to meet up with everyone. We can just go straight to the arena from here if we hurry—“

“Seriously, don’t, I have to go straight home after this.” Asami said, raising her eyebrows with wide eyes to show that she meant it and wouldn’t be convinced otherwise.

Aki’s shoulder’s fell and slouched forward. “Ugh, _why_? Come on Asami, do you really want to spend Friday night all by yourself?”

The heiress half smirked, half scoffed at her friend’s dependence on people for entertainment. Though she enjoyed hanging out with the brunette and her group of friends, they thrived on socialization so much, Asami thought that they’d never be able to last even a day by themselves.

The heiress secretly craved having those quiet nights to herself again, and she found it just a _touch_ pitiful that she seemed like the only person who felt that way.

Asami pursed her lips and gave Aki a look that said, _‘sorry girl, but you’re on your own.’_

The brunette stomped her foot and sighed. “No fair, you always come out with us when Republic City High is playing.”

Asami’s ears perked up. “Wait, they’re playing today…?”

“Um, _yeah_ ,” Aki opened her mouth wide in exaggerated disbelief. “Didn’t you get the memo? Goodness, Asami, you’ve been really out of it lately. They changed up the schedule for the next few weeks… I thought I picked up the new flyer for you.”

Asami shook her head. “No, I never got—”

“—That’s right, I couldn’t give it to you because you didn’t _show up_ to my party last Saturday either!” Aki huffed and pulled out a beige colored paper from her shoulder bag. “I’m telling you, you’ve gotta be on top of these things if you want to stay in the loop!” she scolded as she flipped her hair.

Asami chuckled as she took the flyer from her. “Aren’t we friends just so you can pull me back in when I fall out of it?”

“Shut up,” Akina said with smirk, momentarily forgetting her annoyance. “…Seriously, what am I supposed to do if you stop coming to tournaments? Most of the girls in our school aren’t interested in watching sports. You can’t leave me here like this.”

“First of all, I’m not leaving you. I’m just taking a night to myself. Second, you have Huojin and Minh and all the other guys who love going to those things with you.”

“But what about afterwards? I won’t have someone to have sleepovers and do makeovers and eat bad takeout with,” she said with a pouty whine, trying to show how much Asami’s refusal affected her.

The heiress opened her mouth to recommend a male companion whom she suspected would do those things with her, but was sidetracked by the new information. “What? You’ve never complained about the takeout before—“

“Asami,” the 17-year-old demanded.

The black haired beauty sighed. “…It’s just for this week, I promise. I really, really have to stay home today okay? There’s some family business I just can’t put off any longer.” The heiress gave a sympathetic smile. “We’ll go out together soon.”

“That’s what you said the last time and you’ve bailed on my twice since then!”

Asami’s face softened and she gazed up at the girl with an earnest look in her eyes, knowing how much Aki liked spending time with her. “I’m sorry I missed your party and that I’m robbing you of bad takeout tonight. I’ll make it up to you.”

“Fine!” the brunette said, resuming her pushy attitude to hide the small blush that had dusted her face. “Well if you’re gonna be like that, I guess I’ll just have to make a giant poster for that Mako boy you like, since you can’t be there to cheer him on yourself,”

Asami grinned, shaking her head. “Oh stop that, I don’t…”

“Yeah, yeah, continue to hide in the bleachers while the boyfriend of your dreams gets snapped up by all the crazy teenage girls.” Aki rolled her eyes. “I don’t see why you can’t just introduce yourself, guys practically throw themselves at you the moment you say hi, _geezus_ …”

Asami loved how honestly blunt Akina could be sometimes, and got a good laugh out of her snide remarks. “Well have fun and _go away now_ , Aki, I’ll see you next Monday,” she said, already waving at the girl to make her leave.

The girl being shooed off grunted with disappointment, unable to persuade the heiress in joining her. “Just don’t be mad when some other junior girl grabs him before you do.” She whipped around and headed down the staircase.

When she was completely out of sight, Asami’s eyes lowered to the flyer in front of her. The picture may have been in black and white, but her mind filled in the colors easily from attending the Fire Ferrets’ tournaments almost every week, their real life appearances long since etched into her memory. Though Mako stood in the center of the photo, she was immediately drawn to the pro-bender to his right: the girl with chestnut brown skin, eyes as blue as the sky, and a lopsided grin with two thumbs sticking up. She brushed her thumb over the image, green eyes glazed over in thought.

_I don’t know you, but the truth is… I envy you._

Mako? No. It had always been about watching Korra play. Asami could feel herself getting lost in the game as The Avatar did. She sighed, looking at Korra’s smile, the brightest, most enthusiastic grin she’d ever seen, flashed at every single game.

_I wish I could be that passionate about my own training, too._

She got up and headed down a few doors, stopping right in front of her teacher’s office. She could see a soft glow illuminating the other side, and a shadow moving behind it. She took a deep breath in, ignoring the pain that lanced through her ribs while quelling the nervousness that buzzed in her mind. She glanced up once more at the clock hanging from the wall.

**4:30 PM.**

It was time. **]**

* * *

**Zaofu Music Festival, Early Afternoon**

Korra blinked down at the empty smoothie container and half finished slurpee occupying her hands.

“Don’t move a muscle, I’ll be back before you know it!” was what she’d been told two minutes ago... by a certain brother who insisted he run across the festival to claim lunch.

Korra was left standing alone with only her recently outed, bisexual tendencies as company. She looked up to see Bolin reach the halfway point with Mako and Asami who, _again_ , had gone out together to buy food. They were walking shoulder to shoulder, occasionally bumping into each other and Korra couldn’t tell who was initiating the physical contact. The Avatar scrutinized the two closely as they came to a stop to give Bolin his requested items. Asami looked happy, which made Korra’s furrowed brow slightly relax, but knit together again when the heiress suddenly laughed at something Mako said.

Korra had unconsciously leaned forward to read their lips. They seemed to be discussing the rest of the day’s agenda as Mako paused to take out the city map from his back pocket then glance at his watch.

The freshman was in the middle of studying their body language when a mob of Zaofu Tech students abruptly entered her field of vision, causing her to lose sight of the trio.

“Aw, c’mon,” Korra muttered as they shuffled through the swarm of audience members. Their school’s logo was emblazoned on the front and back of their shirts, a proud design that separated them from the rest of the students. They each carried large pieces of stage equipment, most of it consisting of some kind of curved metal that looked like it would be used for props.

After they dispersed back into the sidelines, Korra’s gaze darted around the crowd to find those beautiful green eyes and red lips again, but turned up with nothing. She couldn’t zone in on Bolin’s duck tail hair or Mako’s shark eyebrows either.

The Avatar sighed and turned around, slouching. She realized she was just agitated because her heart was beating in a strangely unfamiliar way, and she could no longer spy on the engineer’s activities with the opposing party.

_Shit, was Bolin really serious about Mako making a move on her?_

As much as she cared for Mako, there was no way she’d let Asami become another one of his on-again, off-again girlfriends. She clenched her jaw, determined to give herself the most successful pep talk ever, and closed her eyes. She let the music and murmuring of the crowd become background noise as she put herself into a meditative state.

_I am the Avatar, master of all four elements._

_I have faced opponents up to three times my size,_

_and I was the first to take a stand against the tyrannical leader of my college._

_I am the bridge between two entirely different worlds, and my power should be feared by all—_

“Hey Korra,”

“ _Ah—!_ ” The Southerner yelped in surprise, dropping her drink in the process.

Korra abruptly jerked her torso downwards to grab the falling smoothie, going through a sequence of emotions as she did so- a moment of triumph when she managed to catch the cup, a sigh of relief when nothing spilled on the floor, then a feeling of stupidity when she remembered the container was empty.

 _Real smooth, Korra,_ the waterbender sighed to herself, recognizing Asami’s shoes as she was bent over. The freshman cursed this sudden lack of ability to remain casual, still frozen in position with two drinks in hand.

The Southerner looked up just in time to see Bolin standing a couple feet away from the pair, staring back at the her with a stupid grin on his face. In no uncertain terms, it was a smirk that said: _you’ve got to be the dorkiest Avatar ever reincarnated._

She blushed hotly and immediately looked down at the ground again, pretending to concentrate on something.

“Um…Korra?”

The freshman shot up and grinned awkwardly, never feeling quite this nervous around someone before.

“Hungry?” The engineer asked, completely unaware of what was going on in the Avatar’s mind.

“T-T-thanks,” the waterbender responded, taking the hotdog from Asami’s hand and then pausing to stare at it, as if it held all the answers to the mysteries of the universe. Or girls.

Same difference.

“You okay…? I thought I saw you talking to yourself back here,” the sophomore smirked, putting her back against the wall and licking some stray mustard off her thumb. “Looked like a really interesting conversation.” She reached a hand around her head and took down her braid. Korra tensed up again as she watched the heiress shake out her wavy mane, glossy dark locks falling over both sides of her face.

Korra gulped. This was going to be harder than she expected.

“W-well, you know, I was just… thinking about…Um…”

She quickly skimmed over the festival, trying to find something, anything worth mentioning. She was immediately drawn to the brightly colored food stands, and her eyes landed on a lid being uncovered from a steaming pot, revealing round, doughy white buns. _That’s it!_

“—Dumplings!”

Asami gave a look of confusion at the freshman’s sudden exclamation. “Dumplings?”

“Yes!” Korra swiped her pointer finger through the air. “Yes, that’s it. I was just debating how much I’d enjoy tasting Zaofu’s finest soup dumplings alone, but now you’re here! Why don’t we go try some?” Korra said, taking Asami’s hand and leading her towards the food stalls.

“We just got you hotdogs and now you want dumpli—“ Mako was muffled by his younger brother’s hand.

“Shh, shh… let’s go over here and leave the ladies alone.” Bolin said, taking the rest of the food from Asami and Korra and dragging his brother to a bench.

“Bolin, what are you—“ He was silenced by ketchup and a handful of sweet yam fries entering his mouth without permission. The younger brother quickly looked back at Korra, winking and giving her a thumbs-up.

“Off we go then!” Korra mouthed a _thank you_ to the earthbender and dragged Asami away.

“Um… okay?” Asami said, looking at Korra who seemed overly excited about showing her a dish she ate almost regularly.

They arrived at the front of the vendor’s booth, reading over the sign saying, **Ming’s Soup Dumplings**.

Korra stood back a little ways to watch Asami lean over the counter and observe what was being prepared.

 _Okay, I’ve got her alone…Now what do I do?_ Korra tapped her foot, thinking fast to come up with her next step.

Asami looked down at the hands of people taking their orders away in a bowl, the dough jiggling accordingly.

“Hey… where’s the soup?” Asami asked, pointing at one of the dishes being carried away with no broth to be seen.

Korra’s eyes widened, Asami’s inexperience interrupting her musings. “You mean… you’ve never tried soup dumplings before?”

“Well I thought I had… but now I’m not so sure anymore,” Asami said, wrinkling her nose. “It says…” she began as she pointed at the second word on the sign.

“Oh, no, no,” Korra said, starting to laugh as she suddenly understood what Asami was saying. “It’s not dumpling _soup_ , it’s _soup_ dumplings. There’s a difference.”

Asami looked at Korra wide eyed, still not understanding.

“Here, let me show you,” Korra said, handing the man some money and reaching for her chopsticks and spoon over the counter. Korra took her order and led Asami away from the festival’s stage platforms, finding a nice hiding spot under a random set of bleachers. She plopped down on the cool grass and patted the spot in front of her for Asami to follow.

The heiress sat down and crossed her legs, now extremely curious as Korra split her chopsticks and raised one of the buns by the very tip, then moving to rest it inside the flat-bottomed spoon. “Watch carefully,” the Southerner smiled as she leaned in and parted her mouth. Her teeth closed around the edge of the bun, breaking through the dough casing and letting hot broth pour out and into the spoon.

“Oh!” Asami exclaimed as she watched Korra drink the soup and eat the crab meat inside.

“Pretty cool, huh?” The waterbender said, chuckling at the heiress’ reaction.

“Wow, how is it the first time I’m seeing this?” Asami asked. “I’ve never had it served like that before.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t, honestly.”

Asami shrugged. “I’m more of a pot sticker kind of girl.”

“Here, try some.” The waterbender leaned over, allowing the heiress to share and eat the other half of the dumpling.

Asami sat back and smiled after taking a sip. “Hey…This is really good…” She leaned in again and finished off the remaining crab meat.

Korra turned over the chopsticks and spoon to Asami.

“How do you…” Asami took the utensils from Korra, picking up a second dumpling and lifting it up and down to observe it curiously. “…Eat this thing…”

Korra let out a snort as she watched Asami tilt her head to the side awkwardly and make faces from being overly cautious with where she bit the dough, afraid the soup would slosh out of the spoon and into the bowl.

“How about—“ Korra started laughing now, plainly amused by the heiress failing to keep all the contents neatly in the spoon, “—I just feed you.”

Asami started grinning as well and obliged, letting Korra to take control of their lunch.

A cool breeze rolled through the bleachers, and Asami found herself noticing how comfortable the Southerner looked, head bowed down, sitting cross-legged in the shade. The heiress leaned to the side on one hand, studying Korra’s posture and reading her body language. Eyebrows relaxed, shoulders loose, and what she thought was… a faint blush on her cheeks. The sophomore’s eyes brightened when her speculations were confirmed.

Korra was satisfied—she was genuinely enjoying spending time with the heiress, alone… And words weren’t needed to know she was happy.

Asami smiled.

_This is nice._

The engineer tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she watched Korra work on the third dumpling. The freshman lifted it gently into the spoon, biting into it again and eating half of the contents, accidentally drinking all the broth in one go.

“Whoops,” Korra licked her lips and smiled.

“That’s okay.” Asami said, finishing up the meat.

They took turns for a while longer, listening to the Festival’s music and eating the dumplings, one after the other disappearing.

Korra snuck several glances at Asami as they ate, looking up and then lowering her blue eyes back down to the bowl again. The sophomore had gotten to finishing the last one.

Maybe now was good time…

She cleared her throat. “So Asami…” Korra began, eyes shifting up and down.

She trailed off immediately when the heiress lifted her head up to look at her.

Though sapphires had seen emeralds countless times in the past, Korra felt her heart stop and her jaw clamp up the moment their eyes met. In that instant, Korra remembered who she was speaking to and the question she was about to ask. Her posture went slack and she retreated to rubbing her jacket-covered arm again.

“Oh, um… nevermind.”

Asami smiled. “Then I’ll say something.” The heiress put her chopsticks to the side and tucked her legs under her, hands resting on knees. “Look, Korra, I… wanted to thank you.”

“For what?” Korra asked, not remembering anything she'd done recently that would deserve gratitude.

“…For being here. For me,” Asami said, nodding once to finish her appreciation.

“What?” Korra’s eyes widened in disbelief. “I should be thanking _you_! You didn’t have to fly us here and give up your vacation to spend it doing more work,”

Asami shook her head. She was recalling how at ease she felt talking with Bolin and Mako. It had been so long since she got to spend time with people she actually _wanted_ to know, outside of obligatory social events. “You let me in, Korra. You… gave our friendship a chance even when you should have hated me for what I did to you. I put you in the hospital, and you still trusted me enough to let me near you again and your friends.”

Korra scoffed. “You’re still thinking about that? That was Kuvira's fault. That’s the whole reason we’re here, remember?” She immediately leaned forward to place a reassuring hand on the engineer’s arm.

“Yeah, it’s just…” Asami shook her head and smiled. “I’m having a lot of fun.”

Korra sat back, her face flooding with relief. “Really? I was worried that maybe you wouldn’t…”

“Why? ‘Cause I don’t seem like I’m from your typical crowd?” she grinned when Korra snapped her head up, familiar guilt present on her face. “Mako and I ended up talking about last semester and why we didn't become friends sooner. He said you didn’t like how I looked from the moment you first saw me.”

“ _I-I like the way you look!_ ” Korra suddenly interjected, a hot blush burning her cheeks when she realized what that could have implied. She cursed Mako and his friendship-slash-relationship tactics for forming a bond with Asami.

It was just dawning on Korra now, but perhaps she’d been denying her feelings for Asami all this time as a defense mechanism. The freshman had never felt this confused or uncertain about someone before, and the last few weeks had been absolute hell… But the pieces of their friendship were rapidly coming together, right now, as alert green eyes tried to search dazed blue ones.

Asami laughed. “I’m just kidding with you. It’s normal to make assumptions about people you don't know. Anyway…” She snapped the lid back on the container. “How long have we been out here? I bet Mako and Bolin think we ditched them for the rest of the festival,”

“Nah, Bolin took care of Mako,” Korra said, waving it off.

“Took care of?”

“Oh, Bolin probably just explained that I wanted—“ Korra stopped herself when she realized she had said too much. “I mean—“

 _Shit_.

There was no way the heiress would let that slip.

“What?” Asami asked before Korra could get another word out, immediately detecting the suspicious pause.

“It’s uh... nothing, just forget about it.”

“It’s obviously something,” the heiress said.

“Sorry… I’m just not ready to talk about this…”

“Talk about what?”

 _Dammit_. Korra was just digging herself into a deeper and deeper hole.

“It’s, really, just nothing…” Korra said. “We should maybe get going before the brothers think we're lost."

“You just said they were just taken care of,” Asami said.

Korra slapped her forehead for going in a loop. “Alright, I can’t do this anymore.”

“Korra, you’re losing me here.” Asami folded her arms as she cast a suspicious glance at her. “What did you want…?”

The freshman sighed into the ground, looking away.

“What I’m trying to say is...” She looked past Asami and at the streets pouring over with daylight, glaringly brightly back at her.

Their refuge remained untouched by the rays of yellow and gold. It was just her and the engineer under the bleachers, hidden away from the rest of Zaofu, just like they would be from Republic City once they returned to campus...

“…Is that I wanted… to have some alone time with you.” Korra said, feeling the heat blaze over her face. This was too embarrassing.

Asami’s arms began to unfold as she watched Korra fidget with her hands, not knowing where to look.

“I mean… that’s fine, Korra, but you’re the one who’s been wanting me to connect with Mako and Bolin, so...“

 _That's not what I meant!_ The Southerner thought as she listened to Asami, who had totally missed the point Korra was trying to make about _alone time_.

The heiress was bringing back the conversation she had with Korra on the airship about befriending the brothers.

_Oh, Spirits, there's no room for dropping hints, is there? She’s really going to make me say it...  
_

The freshman's emotions started welling up; she wasn't really hearing what Asami was saying, and her words slowly faded into the background.

The Avatar could only focus on the question burning in her throat.

 _Will you go out with me?_ Korra repeated over and over in her head.

_Just say it. Just ask her out.  
_

She watched the sophomore grow more happy and excited as she went on about Mako and Bolin.

"...And Bolin is just hilarious... I can see why they're your best friends, you're lucky to have known them for so long..."

A few more minutes passed. Asami had begun to relay the conversation she had with Mako when they went to get lunch. The waterbender gulped back her words, slowly nodding when she thought she heard Asami pause and ask if she was okay.

_Bolin was completely right…_

Korra felt her heart drum in her chest as she fixated on different parts of the heiress' face, and then her body… they were all features she’d noticed at different points in time. She stared at the girl right in front of her—the girl she had easily ignored and passed by in the halls, perhaps hundreds of times in the past.

_How had I not realized this before?_

"...Mako must have a good sense of humor, too, since he lets you guys make jokes at his expense all the time, haha..."

The memories were all coming back.

Crimson red lips puckering as they walked through the chilled forest... Coal black curtains of hair brushing against her face as she was pinned down in the dirt...Concerned green eyes looking back at her when she had awoken at the hospital...Forehead resting under her chin as they embraced on the airship... 

All the small moments shared between them had accumulated over the past two and a half weeks, and it was blooming into something bold and amazing, striking new chords in Korra's heart, things the Avatar hadn't even been aware of. Asami was beautiful, she had always been beautiful and anyone that had ever laid eyes on the sophomore could see that. But she was also intriguing, and smart, and perfect, and...

...everything that Korra could ever want in a friend. In a _girlfriend._

"But, anyway, if there was something you needed to talk about..."

_I had noticed all those things about Asami because… this entire time...  
_

“—I think I really like you and I wanted to ask you out, okay?!” Korra blurted. She covered her mouth immediately and looked away.

Korra’s breath hitched. She slowly looked back at Asami, who finally stopped talking, her mouth slightly parted in shock.

A few seconds passed.

The Avatar felt herself backtracking on the confession, immediately regretting saying anything about it. She cursed herself for even thinking that Asami could even feel slightly the same way.

“I—I’m sorry, you know what, pretend I never said—“ Korra stuttered and looked down at the grass.

“I’ll go out with you,” Asami said suddenly, as if she wasn't sure she heard right, so she had to repeat the question in the answer.

The freshman looked up, studying the heiress’ face, unsure if the hesitation was from not anticipating Korra’s question, or because Asami herself didn’t know what she wanted.

“You… you will?” Korra said in slight disbelief at how easy the answer came.

The sophomore looked equally surprised at her answer for a moment, but a light blush accompanied her giddy smile, and she bit her lip. “Yeah, you mean… like a date?”

Korra let out a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of her head, both girls now looking down at the ground, then at each other, then away again. “Yeah, a date.”

“…You like me?” The heiress was trying to cover up the giant grin on her face. 

Korra's hand moved from her head down to her neck, feeling the sweat that had formed from all the adrenaline. She was still blushing wildly. “Yes, I like you. More than that.”

Asami was smiling at the admission, but Korra couldn't read what she was thinking; there was something else present behind the pools of green.

“Is that okay…?” Korra asked softly.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I just… Was never sure if you felt the same with me, or… If I was just misreading things.” Korra said. “You know… with all the hugs, and the hand holding and stuff…”

Asami didn't bother confirming or denying the signals.  She simply leaned forward, trying to initiate eye contact. “Is this your first time asking a girl out?”

The initial high of discovering Korra's feelings seemed to slowly drift from her features. While a faint hint of red was still present on her cheeks, the grin had been replaced by a look that was more contemplative than anything.

The Avatar was still turned away however, face still flushed a tomato red. “Y-yeah.”

An interlude of silence.

“So… you like girls too?” the freshman asked shyly as she looked up.

The engineer smiled softly at her. “Sure.”

_Sure? What kind of answer is that…_

“So, this date… when and where is it happening?” the heiress asked before Korra could worry too much about what Asami meant by that reply.

“Well, we’ve both seen Republic City a thousand times before, so why don’t we go out and explore Zaofu? You know, while we're here- not mission related, just one night to ourselves?”

“I would love that,” the heiress said, taking Korra's hand and pulling her forward.

“Then… how about tonight, after we beat Wing and Wei at their own game?" Korra had been tugged just inches away from the heiress face. "We can grab a flyer at the Visitor’s Center and see what sights there are left to see. ”

Asami leaned in and kissed the side of Korra's face, pressing soft red lips against dark brown skin. “Sounds perfect.”

The Avatar lifted a hand to feel the mark.

Korra had a feeling that the blush reddening her cheeks wasn't going away any time soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1- I am so sorry for the delay. As you can see I can't stick to my once a week schedule anymore. But at least it lasted for like, three weeks, amirite? Even though I work on this fic everyday, I'm a really slow writer...
> 
> 2- Currently celebrating the announcement of Dark Horse comics for Korrasami. You guys. Omfg.
> 
> 3- Thanks for reading and to all those who have commented, you guys(girls) are amazing! I really enjoy getting to know my readers. My inbox on FFN is always open as well. Anyways... see you next update! (Whenever that may be...)


	14. Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE 08/19/2015:
> 
> I drew the scene for Korra & Asami's date at the cafe. Please check it out  
> [HERE! : )](http://snowdumpling.tumblr.com/post/127101476564/chapter-14-change-korra-and-asami-go-on-their)

**Zaofu Day 2, Evening**

Despite the sky losing its last hints of purple only now, the residents of Zaofu had already turned in for the evening; Korra supposed the Music Festival was responsible for draining the city of all its energy. She slowly approached the main square of the central dome, sucking in the cool night air through her teeth. It felt crisp and clean as it swelled in her lungs, the taste still pure as it breezed in from the mountains.

Tall, partially lit-up buildings blurred in her peripheral vision as she made her way towards the plaza, where the heiress would be waiting. Korra took one last minute to double check herself. She tugged her shirt collar over her nose and inhaled, her senses recognizing cucumber melon soap. She popped another handful of mints into her mouth, nodding when she breathed into the palm of her hand.

Korra arrived at the edge of the empty court, aware she hadn't spotted a single person in the last few blocks, save for a handful of guards.

Potted plants lined the entire walkway beginning from the street entrance; the recessed lights in the pavement had been switched on for the night, flooding the air with glowing white beams, guiding pedestrians along the street. Closer to the road sat a fountain, and crystal clear water spouted from its wide basin, the lights underneath quietly alternating streams in different colors of the rainbow.

She found Asami easily enough. The sophomore was leaning her back against a metal structure, holding a booklet open with a thumb pressed between the second and third pages. The Southerner watched as Asami stood quietly by herself, head bowed down in concentration and still unaware of the Avatar's presence.

Korra closed in on the engineer, running a dark hand through her bangs one more time before speaking up.

"Hi," a shy smile tugged at the freshman's lips as she murmured the greeting.

Korra's voice had come out much calmer than expected, but her breath didn't fail to catch in her throat when Asami looked up to meet her gaze.

"There you are," the older girl immediately stuffed the book away and smiled.

The sophomore looked happy, happier than Korra had ever seen before. It made the Avatar's heart throb and light up her features so that she looked equally as pleased.

"Sorry, did I keep you waiting long?"

"No, I ended up window shopping around a bit before coming here."

The heiress looked Korra up and down. The younger girl had evidently taken another shower, but she was wearing the same clothes—probably because Asami had told Korra earlier in the day that she looked good in them. _Cute_.

"So did you talk to them?"

"Yeah, I told Wing and Wei I couldn't stay 'cause I had some unofficial Avatar business to take care of."

"I figured you'd use the Avatar card in a situation like this, just this once," the sophomore chuckled. "Pretty vague excuse though. I'm surprised they let you get away with just that."

Korra laughed, some shame present in her voice. "I-it's not that I don't want them to know I'm going on a date with you, I just…"

"It's fine, Korra. You don't have to explain yourself to me." Asami put a hand on her shoulder. "You don't want everyone to know your business all the time, I understand."

The freshman looked up at her gratefully. "Thanks."

_Spirits, why is she so perfect?_

"So what'd they say?"

"Mmm, the twins were really disappointed, but I think they'll be satisfied as long as they have free reign over Mako, with Bolin aiding them in the process of driving him nuts," Korra said with a grin. "I wish I could have stayed, but it sounded like the game was going to last all night. And I can't have that be the reason I'd lose a date with you."

"I'm flattered that I'm the Avatar's first priority."

The Southerner smiled and extended a hand towards the Visitor's Center, allowing Asami to lead the way as they talked.

"Do you think they'll really be able to convince the twins to give us the keys?" Asami asked.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure Bo will be able to handle it for us. Mako may not be skilled at buttering people up, but Bolin's, um, charm…. Is pretty hard to resist." Korra made a face. "I think."

"So what do Wing and Wei want to _do_ , exactly? What's this game they keep talking about?"

"They described it as… a combination of tag and hide-and-seek."

Asami raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"The goal is to sneak a magnet onto the armor of a guard without him or her noticing. You have to tag as many of them as you can before the clock strikes midnight, when they all gather in the city's center before the nightshift."

Korra pinched her thumb and pointer finger closer together, like she was holding a square. "The twins had individual bags of colored magnets, so you can tell which person tagged the most guards."

Asami imagined a group of tough, armored metalbenders with silly looking squares attached to their backs.

"That sounds… ridiculous."

Korra grinned, continuing to explain the activity. "The winner is the person who marked the most guards in the squares of their color." Korra shook her head at the thought. "How do those kids even have time to come up with that shit?"

"Oh come on, don't act like you didn't do those kinds of things in high school," Asami gave her a knowing look.

"Hey, I'm not saying I didn't come up with my fair share of ways to screw with people—it's just, where do they find the opportunity?"

The heiress smirked. "…The same way we ended up seeing spirits that have been dormant for the past six years?"

Korra rolled her eyes with a smile as she opened the black-tinted door to the Center. It was empty inside too. "Listen, all I'm saying is that when I skip class, it's so I can chill, not so I can stress myself out by coming up with _more_ rules for an elaborate prank."

The two girls strolled inside, attention immediately drawn to the large aquarium placed in the middle of the room.

"Oh, cool!" Korra skipped over to the tank and peered inside, almost pressing her face against the glass.

Asami giggled as she watched the Avatar's affinity for animals take over her behavior.

Like most tourist centers, the building was sleek in appearance but rather sparse in content, with just a few standing shelves holding a colorful collection of flyers, and a gift shop on the other side of the room. There were a row of windowed booths towards the back, with a red rope indicating where the line should form to get tickets. It was near closing time and only one employee stood behind the counter.

"Hey, I'm gonna go check out what they have over there," she said to Korra over her shoulder, beginning to walk towards the booths.

"Okay," the younger girl nodded, not taking her eyes off the glass. Korra began to play with the fish inside the aquarium by waterbending a light current around it, gently sliding it back and forth across the tank in a bubble.

Asami walked around the rope and straight over to the counter. The middle-aged woman on the other side didn't wear a name tag but had on a uniform, face still looking chipper despite the fact that most people would be dying to go home by this time.

"Slow night, huh?" Asami greeted with a friendly smile.

The woman returned the gesture and nodded, leaning both elbows over the counter. "It's 'cause the Music Festival starts early and lasts all the way into the late afternoon. Everyone's too tired to go out afterwards; it's the same way every year." She peeked over Asami's shoulder and at the freshman still fooling around with the aquarium. "Is that the Avatar over there?"

Asami laughed. "Yeah, she's um… just having some fun. She won't harm the fish, I promise."

"So where are you two coming from?"

"Republic City, we're only here for a few more days, though."

"Students?" the woman asked with a softened expression, happy to see two young people having a good time.

"Yeah, we thought we'd stop by to see if there's anything else fun we could do… Well, it doesn't even have to be exciting, we just want another evening to relax while we have the chance. It's been a bit of a rough semester,"

Asami was glad that the woman was in the mood for some friendly conversation. This date was already going a lot more smoothly than she expected. It was… sweet.

"Aw," the woman said with a sympathetic smile on her face. "Well, let me see if I can help with that." She reached under the booth's table and pulled out a flyer for Zaofu's famous restaurants.

"Ya'll do seem a little tired from the Festival, so I think a good place to eat and hang out is all that you need. Most of the restaurants in Zaofu close up at around 1 AM, so you're still good for another few hours. What are you looking for?" The woman eyed Asami's outfit for a moment, trying to see if she was dressing for a special occasion. "A bar, good takeout, wine and dine…?"

Asami smiled at how eager the woman was to help.

"Anything with a more… _intimate_ setting would be perfect. Something quiet, definitely." Asami looked back at Korra affectionately as the woman dipped her head down again to look through the flyer.

"I know just the place," she said, sliding the brochure forward and tapping one of the monochrome thumbnails. "There's a café located in one of the outer domes called Jia Li's. It's very pretty, but still has a bit of a moody setting to it… quite spacious for a café, actually—they serve dinner there, of course, but what they're really known for is their tea selection and dessert." The woman handed Asami the flyer.

"Sounds great," the heiress stored the brochure away in her bag.

"Before you leave, though, you should know that it's located in one of the domes still undergoing some construction, so it'll be even emptier than where we are right now. The streets of Zaofu are the safest in the world, but just be aware there won't be as many people or guards hanging around there when you go."

"Thanks for the heads up," the heiress smiled. "And thank you so much for helping us out."

The woman beamed. "You're very welcome, dear. Enjoy the rest of your stay at Zaofu."

Asami walked over to Korra and put her hands on her hips. "How's it going?" She raised an eyebrow and smiled questioningly at the freshman's childlike behavior.

"Great!" Korra said as she puckered her lips at the fish who'd come face-to-face with her again.

"I found a place we could have dinner," Asami said as she held her hand out.

Korra saw the extended arm out of her peripherals and stopped, slowly turning to face the sophomore. Was Asami really okay with holding hands in public?

The freshman blushed and slowly laced her fingers with Asami's after a few seconds of hesitation. "O-okay," She looked up at the taller girl who gazed thoughtfully back at her. "We haven't had anything to eat since those dumplings at lunch."

"Good, so you have an appetite. We're going to take the monorail over to one of the outer domes. You don't mind staying out late, do you?"

"Not if I'm with you." Korra laughed softly and scratched her cheek.

Asami squeezed the younger girl's hand and tugged her in the direction of the exit. Once they got outside they noticed a few stray college students had dotted the border of the plaza as they sat on benches and talked. It looked like they were the last ones to leave the Music Festival, and just about ready to head to an after party.

"The Academy doesn't allow any kind of house parties, do they?" Korra commented.

Asami raised an eyebrow, giving her a look that said, _you already know the answer to that._

"Yeah, Kuvira wouldn't let that shit fly at all," the Avatar laughed, imagining the ex-captain kicking down doors and ordering the guards to barge into dorms full of drunk teenagers.

The freshman smiled at the thought and folded her arms over her head. "Well, I'd like to go to a crazy college party at least once."

"There'll be lots of opportunities. The Academy isn't the only college in or around Republic City, you know…" Asami winked.

Just as Asami and Korra were walking past one of the larger potted plants, they heard a faint hissing noise.

"Psst. Psssst."

Korra immediately whipped her head around and pulled Asami closer. "…What was that?"

The heiress' face contorted in confusion.

"Pssssst…"

Two crouched figures caught Korra's attention behind the potted bush to her right. The freshman jerked back for a moment in surprise before lifting her palm with a small burst of flame to shine light on the strangers' faces.

"…Bolin? _Mako_?" Korra's nose wrinkled. "What are you guys _doing_ …?"

The younger brother gave her a silent grin as he held up a green-colored square magnet and pointed in the direction behind the young couple.

The two girls turned and noticed a guard had stationed himself with his arms folded just a few feet away.

Bolin motioned for the girls to move apart; they unlaced their fingers and took two steps away from each other, leaving clear access to the guard. The younger brother threw the green square forward, deftly lifting a hand to raise tiny hills from the ground, making the magnet skip across one, two, three, four earthy mounds and land on the metal armor spine with a _snap_.

The man didn't seem to notice as he walked away to a new location.

Once the guard was out of earshot, Bolin jumped up and high-fived Mako. "Nice!" he boomed. "And that makes six!"

"Sounds like everything's coming along smoothly," Korra folded her arms and walked towards the brothers.

"Yeah, this actually doesn't require a lot of precision since the guards wear metal all over their bodies."

"Glad you're having fun. So how are you planning on getting the keys to the Beifong Library after?"

Bolin's face fell. "Yeah, about that…"

"—Let me guess, you're planning to win the twins over with some tricks you prepared with Pabu,"

"Actually, Korra…" Bolin lifted his pointer finger to say something but was cut off again.

"—Wait, I got it—Mako comes up with a new list of police jokes that are so bad, the twins fork over the keys just to make him stop,"

"Korra, that's not what we're…"

"Oh, you know what? I bet you could do it the practical way and just offer to teach them some pro-bending techniques in exchange for the…"

" _Korra!_ "

The Avatar flinched. "What?"

"We already talked to Wing and Wei about the keys…" Bolin rubbed the back of his neck as he made a face.

"Don't tell me they said no…" the Avatar tensed up.

"No, no, it's actually…" Bolin turned to Mako. "Do you want to tell her or should I?"

Korra's expression turned to one of worry; she didn't like where this was going. "Tell me what?"

The firebender sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "We… kind of ended up making a bet. Well, Bolin did."

"A _bet?_ " The Southerner's voice was raised but it hadn't veered off into anger or panic just yet.

She wouldn't have been at those two crossroads in the first place, had her friends not looked like they were guilty of making a stupid decision—mostly indicated by Mako's we-shouldn't-have-done-that expression.

"W-well, you see it started out as a joke, at first," Bolin started to explain quickly. "Wing and Wei were all, 'there's no way you can win your first time around because you don't know Zaofu' and I was all, 'well you've never seen me and Mako's sneak attacks from growing up on the streets!' and they were all, 'our knowledge of Zaofu can beat your tactical knowledge,' and I was all, 'you wanna bet on it, punks?!'"

The younger brother tugged at his shirt collar. "So, first, I apologized for calling them punks…"

Korra rolled her eyes.

"And then I thought that since we were making bets… I might as well make a decent one, you know? So if we win, we get access to the keys for 24 hours before we have to return them to the twins."

Korra looked over at Asami who's mouth hung slightly apart at how quickly that scene escalated.

"Okay… so if you lose, then what?" Korra slightly relaxed at hearing Wing and Wei had agreed to their part of the deal.

"…If we lose, you have to give Opal recommendation for entrance to the Academy next year," Bolin squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for Korra' reaction.

"You did _what?!_ " Korra was yelling this time, reasonably so. She knew what those consequences implied if they lost.

She paused. "…Wait, who's Opal?"

"Their older sister. They said you'd be meeting her tomorrow—apparently she's an airbender, and just a year behind us in school."

Korra gave a long, drawn out sigh as she rubbed her forehead. "A recommendation requires me to talk to the school board. Eventually they'll pass the information on to Kuvira in an application form with my name stamped next to my vouching statement, so she can decide if that student is eligible for applying to the college."

Bolin coughed into his hand, still looking away. "Yeaaah…"

"I'm not saying I won't do what I can, but in case you haven't noticed, Kuvira and I aren't on the best terms right now."

"I'm sorry!" Bolin dropped his shoulders. "But you can't ask to gain entrance to the most secret library _ever_ and not expect to give something of equal weight back,"

Korra didn't notice Asami had moved close to her again until she felt smooth fingers interlocking with her own. The younger girl looked up and smiled when she saw the heiress' expression; Korra felt her worries instantly melt away again. She looked back at Bolin who had folded his hands and began twiddling with his thumbs, looking somewhat hurt.

"No, it's… it's fine. That was probably the only real chance we were going to have at those keys, honestly."

"I'm sure we'll figure something out even if our plan goes to shit," Mako added, trying to comfort the freshman in his own blunt way.

Korra smirked. "You know what, don't even worry about it. I have faith in you guys—I was just kinda shocked, that's all. I've never had to vouch for someone before."

"Well, you are the Avatar. People will try to take advantage of that," the heiress squeezed her hand.

Korra shrugged. "Well, we are taking advantage of Wing and Wei and their teenage-based trust, so it's a totally fair trade." The Avatar looked at Bolin who had stopped wincing. "Thanks for covering for me, Bo."

The earthbender looked up and grinned, accepting her gratitude as her apology for the earlier outburst.

"So where are you two going?" Mako asked with a raised eyebrow, his gaze suddenly lowered to the girls' hands busy holding one another's.

Korra exchanged glances with Asami, who didn't seem shy at all about the status of their possible relationship.

"Dinner," Korra said confidently after a few seconds. "I'm taking Asami out on a date. She just picked the place."

The police intern's eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened; Korra wasn't sure if it was from disbelief or confusion about the word usage of 'date'.

"Wait, you mean… like a girl's night out, or… Like an actual…?"

It was confusion.

"It's a _date_ -date. And we're planning on spending the next two hours cozying up with some tea. So, if you'll excuse us…"

Korra hid a gloating smirk as she pulled Asami away from the brothers without another word.

The two girls began to head in the direction of the next monorail station; the nearest one was about five blocks away. Korra glanced over her shoulder as she held Asami's hand and crossed the street; she caught sight of a cheerful Bolin waving, and a very dumbfounded Mako standing beside him.

She caught his eyes, and for the briefest moment, smiled before she turned back to Asami.

* * *

Asami and Korra exited the station, hand in hand, and started to head towards the building number listed on the brochure. They had grown quiet, now more concerned with the unfamiliar environment they had just arrived in.

"She wasn't kidding when she said this place was still under construction," Asami said, warily observing the numerous buildings that stayed still and hollow, completely devoid of any activity.

The streets were significantly darker than the central dome; lamp posts were placed along the way but there were no benches or courts or public meeting grounds. It didn't look like there were any guards assigned on general watch duty either.

"Does anybody even live here…?" Korra whispered.

While the neighborhood was still clean and orderly like the rest of Zaofu—no signs of vandalism or other forms of misconduct—large garages occupied one side of the street, adding to the foreboding emptiness of the sector. The warehouses took the shape of enormous half-ovals, the size of the first three floors of a building. They were being used as storage units, and some remained opened: sealed boxes lined up in stacked rows, and slabs of metal and a few knocked-over packages decorated the ground.

"I bet this is where all the teenagers come to hang out when they're bored and want to be left alone," Asami chuckled.

"What kinds of places did _you_ hang out as a kid, Miss Sato?"

Asami just smiled and shook her head in response as they turned the corner. "Hey—I see it."

"Well that took all of ten seconds to find."

The lights from Jia Li's Café gave off the strongest glow on the street—probably the entire dome. It was large and looked more like a restaurant than anything; even the entrance had a tall, shiny door and a more serious-looking font for the nameplate rather than a cutesy one.

"It's no wonder they built this thing closer to the station, I don't think anyone would want to walk too far with this kind of construction still going on."

"Shall we go in?" Korra grabbed the handle of the door and looked back at her date.

"Let's," Asami smiled.

When they entered, the café was just like the woman at the Visitor's Center described: pretty, yet moody—the perfect environment for cultivating a romantic evening. The establishment's interior certainly did not match the neighborhood it was located in. Korra wondered how the café made money; despite inhabiting what was probably the least populated dome in all of Zaofu, it was lavish with its decoration and furniture. Deep reds, shades of brown, and soft blacks painted the walls as velvet blue couches made up most of the seating arrangements.

Surprisingly, there were quite a few couples already having dinner in the back. It looked like Korra and Asami would have to be placed in the front. Fortunately, the couches looked comfortable, wide enough to separate each table into private booths.

They each took a menu from the stack on the table as they waited to be seated.

After a few minutes of studying the selection, Korra looked over at Asami and blushed as she watched the dark hues melt away some of the colors from heiress' clothes, bringing out her sharp green eyes in the slow-burning glow of the room.

The heiress could feel Korra's intent stare, and she turned to smile at the Avatar, catching her off guard.

"Sorry, I um…"

"Okay, you have to stop apologizing for looking," The sophomore leaned in again, brushing one of Korra's wolftails to the side, planting her second kiss on the Avatar's cheek.

"Y-you're just really beautiful," the younger girl stuttered.

"Thank you. I'm sure you'll be enjoying that tonight when we get back home," she said in a hushed whisper.

Korra's eyes shot open and she flushed tomato red.

_Did she just…?_

"Table for two, ladies?" the waiter suddenly joined in. He looked at Asami who smiled pleasantly back at him, and raised an eyebrow when he turned to Korra, her gaze plastered to the floor and appearing stunned.

"Uh…Right this way, please," he said after realizing he was making a face, and led them towards the middle of the room to seat them. He took their orders before he walked away.

Korra folded her hands and set them in her lap, still blushing wildly from Asami's previous comment.

"Wow, I didn't know I could have this kind of affect on the Avatar," the heiress laughed as she noticed how rigid the younger girl was being. "We're just having dinner. Relax. Here, come sit closer by me."

_Apparently we might be doing more after that…_

The booth consisted of one long cushioned seat that spanned half the length of the round table. Korra scooted closer to Asami so that they sat shoulder-to-shoulder. The waiter came around again to give them complimentary hot tea, and the two girls sat in silence for a minute as they allowed the warmth from the cups transfer into the palms of their hands. Korra looked around at the other couples—all of them girl and boy pairings, and most of them college students like themselves. She didn't expect any young teenagers to be allowed in this area of Zaofu at this time of night.

As they waited for their food, they talked over general first-date things: what projects Asami would be working on once she got back to school in a few days, the upcoming social events she had to attend (and consequently ended up inviting Korra as her official date), and what she planned to do for summer break.

"Honestly, I should still be working, but I think I'm going to take some time off for once. Go on another vacation, maybe."

Korra shrugged. "I think you deserve it. You're pretty much doing future-company-owner things the entire school year anyway with all the networking you have to do."

"And let's not forget all the fun seminars and leadership training I regularly attend."

"Seminars, huh?" Korra chuckled. "Spirits, Asami, if you wanted to bore yourself to death why not just come by Air Temple Island and join one of Tenzin's meditation sessions?"

Asami smiled; she appreciated that she had someone to talk to about her daily life as a future CEO. She usually kept those details to herself since complaining about it to others could come off as unprofessional or generally ungrateful for the position of power she was going to hold, but Korra had shown no such judgments.

"So… I never asked you this, but have you ever dated someone before?" The heiress took a sip of her tea as her eyes, light green orbs standing out in the darkness like a cat, studied Korra's face.

"Not really. It's… kind of a long story."

Asami swirled a slender finger along the edge of her own cup; some of her lipstick had smudged the rim. "I have time."

"Well…" Korra gave a sharp sigh. "I did sort of... have a crush on Mako back in high school."

"I knew it," the heiress smiled before Korra could even begin to explain. "Your personalities match up in a lot of ways."

"Pffft, how would you know? You've talked to him, like, twice in the last two days."

"So? I don't need a written statement to know high school sweethearts when I spot them,"

Korra groaned. " _Sweetheart_? I think that's the last word I'd ever use to describe Mako's relationship to me..."

"Well, I'd definitely describe it with a term of _some_ kind of endearment. You guys are like kids in a playground trying to share the sandbox for the first time."

"What's the heck is _that_ supposed to mean?"

Asami laughed. "You both have demanding personalities, and when you two cross paths, you start competing, and sparks fly. Like two little kids trying to build their own sand castle but then getting caught up in the other person's creation."

"And you could tell all that just by getting hot dogs with Mako today?" Korra snorted.

Asami shook her head, eyes twinkling at being aware of something Korra thought she hadn't noticed. "I saw you back there at the Visitor's Center,"

She reached over and pinched Korra's cheek, who flailed a little before allowing the sophomore to do what she wanted.

"All I said was that we were going on a date," Korra mumbled. "Ow."

"Mhmmmm." Asami released her hold on the younger girl. "Tell me that last smile you gave him wasn't one of triumph."

Korra rolled her eyes. "His pride's just a little bruised. He'll live."

"Oh, I'm not worried about him. I just think it's adorable you care so much about what he thinks."

"I do not! It's just…he thought he was being _so_ smooth with you this entire time. He got what he deserved for being such a showoff… Not that I wanted to ask you out just to spite him, of course—"

"I know that, Korra!" Asami laughed. "I've been on enough dates to know when someone's heart isn't really into it."

Korra sipped her tea; _who would work up the nerve to ask Asami out and not be really into her…?_

"Anyway, even if that hadn't happened, it's pretty obvious you two had a thing, just by the way you guys talk."

"Should I be insulted?" Korra smirked.

"It's just an observation."

"Well... You're not far off. We still are, more or less, in that "sandbox" as you call it—which explains why we could never get along and be a real couple. Bolin and I also went on a date once, but it never went further than friendship. He's more like a pal."

"Oh, I see. So you prefer to date within your circle."

"Well, I wouldn't say it's a conscious preference… It's just how things have always ended up. When I was living in the White Lotus compound I didn't get to see people my own age very much, so interacting with that…population… is something I'm still getting used to. Which means that I'll tend to get involved with people I'm close to already."

"So what you're saying is that… I was practically next in line for a date with the Avatar the moment I became your friend, hm?"

"Hahaha, don't be a smartass…" Korra nursed her tea some more before it lost all its heat. "Alright, my turn now. What kind of people do you date?"

Korra put a hand up. "Hold on, this should be an easy one—super attractive, amazingly talented people like yourself, am I right?"

"Is that supposed to flatter you or me?" Asami laughed.

"Does it matter?"

For the first time ever, Korra thought she saw some shyness exhibited in Asami's behavior as she lowered her eyes and looked away. "Actually… I haven't really dated anyone before, either."

"You're kidding."

"Not even a little."

"How is that even possible? You're like…I mean, you're just… You're…" Korra wasn't sure if she should be as blunt as she wanted to be.

"I'm what?"

 _So frickin' gorgeous I could do you right now on this table,_ is what Korra wanted to say. She mentally slapped herself for allowing teenage hormones to almost speak her mind.

"Well, you're beautiful and smart… That's kind of a killer combination," is what Korra ended up saying instead. "What I mean is that you've got it all—I really can't see you being single all this time."

Asami laughed softly but the smile wasn't in her eyes. "There are a lot of factors that go into finding a good partner aside from looks and personality, you know…"

"…There are?" Korra squinted an eye. "I honestly can't imagine what else."

"Between two people? A lot, if you really think about it. Their chemistry, circumstance… Background, affiliation…"

The waiter arrived with their food, distracting the heiress momentarily. Asami had ordered rice and curry, and Korra, a bowl of noodles as usual. Asami picked her spoon off the table and lifted the food into her mouth, savoring the taste. She smiled in satisfaction before talking again.

"…As I was saying, traits like being smart or good-looking increases your chance of finding someone, but… It certainly doesn't guarantee you finding someone you truly love and making it work," Asami said as she ate all her carrots first. "And relationships… are a _lot_ of work."

Korra shrugged before digging into her meal and lifting ribbons of noodles into her mouth. "I figure that if you like someone, and they like you back, you try to hang out more and that's all there is to it."

"Then what do you think separates a friendship from a romantic relationship?"

"Uhh… when you come to the point where you wanna suck on the other person's face?"

Asami's laugh almost drew the attention of the other couples in the café. "Sorry, sorry… It's just…"

"What, isn't that everyone's definition of it? It's physical attraction that separates the two. You don't think so?" Korra's eyes widened as she gave the heiress a look of curious innocence.

Asami calmed down as she took another spoonful of curry. "I just wouldn't simplify it like that. Think about this—Mako and Bolin are both good people, in both looks and attitude, but there was still some part of the puzzle that just couldn't be completed… like a missing piece, or an extra that wouldn't fit… right?"

Korra nodded. "I suppose that Bolin and I lacked the spark that started my relationship with Mako, and then that was the reason it ended up being too heated between us all the time."

"See? Chemistry." Asami concluded. "How about others, though? There had to be more people interested in you."

"Because I'm the Avatar?"

"Because you're hot and powerful and a great person to be around," Asami smiled when she made Korra turn bright red. "So… yes."

"Well, I only heard rumors about who had crushes on me—and there were a lot—but most of the people in my class were too intimidated to actually ask me out, and all the lower classmen were just too young for me."

" _Circumstance_." the heiress tapped her finger on the table, her theory being confirmed twice by the information.

"Huh." Korra said to herself. "…Well, you said you've been on dates too, right?"

"Sure, plenty of times."

"So what happened?"

"It's… complicated," Asami's voice suddenly turned uneasy, but her face showed that she was trying to figure out how to best explain it to Korra. "I wasn't in a good position to be starting a relationship. Things back in high school were pretty rough, to tell you the truth."

Korra cocked her head to the side, another chopstick-full of noodles held an inch away from her parted mouth. "Really?"

"Yeah," Asami admitted, putting her spoon down and running a hand through her hair. "Actually, I… came to the Academy, hoping for a fresh start."

Korra studied the older girl's face inquisitively. "Sorry, I just thought that…"

"It's alright. Most people assume I'm the perfect example of daddy's little girl… Good grades, a nice family too… Like I've always got everything planned out and under control. But… I don't. At least, I didn't—not for a very long time. Things got better when I came to college."

"Where did you go again?"

"Legacy High School for the Sciences."

Korra's eyes widened. "You went to Legacy? Can't say I'm surprised… That's a really good school."

"Just a fancy schmancy name and building," she shrugged. "I could have gone to a less renown school and gotten the same education. We can visit some day if you'd like."

"Cool. It's a plan."

The heiress looked over at the younger girl; she could tell that Korra was still curious about her time at Legacy and what made her experience so bad. The Avatar kept her boundaries, though, and kept quiet as she went through her noodles.

"I almost failed my junior year there," Asami finally spoke up, answering the question on Korra's mind.

"No way…" the freshman looked at her shocked. "You don't mean because of schoolwork or tests, do you?"

"That's exactly what I mean."

"How can that be true? You're the best student in the engineering class at our university!" Korra leaned forward. "Didn't you say you've had a knack for math and science since childhood?"

"I think… the concept of talent and what it does for you is often misunderstood," Asami smiled. "Truth is, it's just like my talk about relationships; natural gifts won't get you very far if you don't put your best effort into using them. The girl with the nicer car won't be any more likely to win a race if she never practices driving."

Korra munched on her noodles and stared at the heiress, trying to rethink Asami's earlier analogy as she waited for her to continue.

"I… lost a lot of motivation during that year. It's true that science was my calling. I could easily solve problems and do lab exercises and read textbooks cover to cover, but I just… wasn't putting in the time to really concentrate and focus on what I was doing… I was being called into meetings and my friends were starting to worry when I didn't go out with them," Asami explained.

Brilliant green stared long and hard into electrifying blue.

"Losing your passion is one of the worst feelings in the world. I had to make some hard decisions before I could come out of it."

Korra was speechless; she couldn't imagine Asami struggling with her work to the point where she was about to fail an entire year. The Avatar put her chopsticks down and folded her hands, quietly ruminating on the new information as the heiress finished the last of her curry. Asami had never shown any signs of being afraid or second guessing herself—hell, just yesterday she spoke with confidence about what career she was going to pursue for the rest of her life!

Was it really true that Asami had once struggled that desperately, despite being naturally gifted at her field of work? Despite the fact she was _supposed_ to be... perfect?

Spirits, that sounded… That sounded a lot like…

… _Exactly_ _w_ _hat I'm going through right now._

By all accounts, Korra was gifted in her natural strength and ability to master the first three elements at an early age; she was practically a toddler when she first demonstrated her power to the White Lotus that snowy night.

Kuvira forcing her to fight Asami may have come from a place of bad intentions, but now Korra understood why she was bothered by the whole thing—it wasn't the ridicule from her classmates or her reputation being taken down a notch that gnawed at her—it was the fact that she hadn't truly opened herself up to the possibility that there were still a lot of things she didn't know or understand. There would be some things in life that she'd be _completely_ unprepared for, and she had been blind to the possibility that she'd have to work towards those goals from scratch.

She had been too proud. Maybe Asami had a point... Maybe it was time for Korra to make some hard decisions for herself, too, so she could come out of the rut she was stuck in.

Though the Avatar was responsible for mastering all four elements, she'd always been taught that mastering her spiritual self was just as essential for true balance. Sure, non-bending techniques were certainly not a _requirement_ for being the Avatar... Yet somehow she knew, deep in her heart, that learning those techniques would be an obstacle she had to overcome so she could understand _herself_ better.

"Hey, Asami..."

Though Korra had placed at the top of her non-bending combat classes in high school, they were nowhere near honing the level of skill and knowledge the heiress possessed. She had an idea.

"I know I said we wouldn't do anything mission related for tonight, but… could I ask you for a favor?"

"Anything."

"I was thinking that maybe… you could teach me… since I'm sort of having the same motivation problem you had back in Legacy." the Avatar scratched her head. "I was caught off guard by all the things you knew and I didn't. But after hearing your story, I think I... shouldn't be afraid to ask for help if I want to get better."

Asami had finished eating, and she pushed her plate to the side so it could be taken away. "You… want me to help train you?"

"Yes, I mean… Aang was trained by Katara and Toph so he could learn waterbending and earthbending, and they were his two best friends… So I thought… if you wouldn't mind…?"

"I'd be honored." Asami said with a gentle smile, putting a supporting hand on Korra's shoulder.

Korra looked relieved that the heiress had no qualms about training her. "Thanks. You have no idea how much this helps."

"You know what? Let's order dessert before we go," Asami said. "How about a milkshake to celebrate?"

"Celebrate?"

Asami embraced Korra's neck, leaning the shorter girl's head on her chest while talking softly in her ear. "You're not a dependent person, Korra—you're tough, determined, and I know how hard this must be for you... Admitting that you need assistance puts yourself in a vulnerable position... But it was a brave decision on your part. I'm proud of you."

Asami flagged the waiter down, requesting a strawberry milkshake, and he brought around their dessert straight away. The two girls leaned forward, Asami smiling and Korra blushing from the realization that she'd entrusted another part of herself to the engineer. Eventually, their gazes met and Korra thought she'd never seen such a pure expression of happiness from anyone before. She didn't regret telling Asami anything.

"Just for the record," Asami said, taking her lips off the straw, "This is the best date I've ever been on."

Korra smiled. She realized they must have spent a lot of time conversing because the cafe had already emptied out and only two tables remained occupied.

Just as they were finishing up the drink, Korra reached behind herself and pulled out her wallet from the jacket's pocket, calling the waiter's attention for the check.

She thanked the waiter, pulling out a few bills just before he turned and left.

"Hey," he called to another worker in the distance, "My shift's over. Could you take care of these last two tables for me?"

"It doesn't take more than a minute to get the change," Korra mumbled as she put down the money and waited for the next person to take care of the check.

"Hey, I can get that actually—" Asami began rummaging through her bag for her wallet.

"No, I'm the one that invited you, it's my treat," Korra insisted.

Asami dropped what she was doing and turned to the Avatar, shifting much closer so that their knees touched.

"Then let me thank you for tonight," she whispered, already reaching up a hand to brush a thumb across the Avatar's flushed cheek. The heiress moved past Korra's ear and started to play with her hair, winding dark brown strands through snowy fingers and massaging the spot before fully extending her palm, gently grasping the back of the younger girl's head.

Korra's eyes had already fallen into half lids.

Her heart was beating so strongly she could feel it in her throat; she couldn't understand why.

This wasn't her first time kissing someone...

"Asami..."

She could see the heiress' light green orbs shine from under her lidded eyes; jewels veiled in milk white.

Spirits, it was only now that Korra realized how long she had wanted this; the urge to lean in and bring the heiress to the closest point their faces could touch was too strong.

Korra shut her eyes as Asami brought another hand forward, cupping the side of Korra's face, their noses just centimeters apart.

Asami closed the distance between them, feeling the tenseness of their proximity reach an all-time high, their kiss not far away.

Fingers on cheek, hand on thigh, mouths parted...

Just as Korra could feel the whispers of velvety red lips and the scent of vanilla reach her nose, a resounding _THWACK!_ jolted the two teenagers out of their moment.

Asami's eyes snapped open and Korra felt the smooth hands drop from her face; the moment had been completely—and what seemed to be intently—ripped from them. Both girls turned their gaze to the paper pad that had just been smacked down in front of them, and then back up at their new waitress leaning forward with one hand on her hip and one hand on the table.

Korra had been so absorbed in the moment she didn't even react in a timely manner to get angry; she appeared only dazed as she squinted up at the person who had just decided to join them.

The newcomer, however, had no interest in Korra. Her dark brown eyes fixated on Asami, who at first looked back with the same confused stare Korra had. Everything changed when the waitress opened her mouth for the first time.

"Well if it isn't Asami fucking Sato," the girl said with a devilish grin that Asami recognized as being all too familiar.

Asami's eyes, previously filled with warmth and eagerness, were now being glazed over with fear and panic as the present moment was replaced with the past and she matched the waitress' features to the face in her sixteen-year-old memory.

_No, that's impossible._

She traced the waitress' arms, muscles she remembered the feel of; a touch that her body had been forced to memorize against her own skin and bone, clacking together on impact. Asami even recognized her mouth; lips that had once been strained into a smile over a blue mouth guard as sweat dripped down over heated skin. Clean hands and thin arms now covered by a neat blouse that used to be exposed and burned from the friction of fighting, bleeding knuckles burrowing into Asami's jaw...

She stared at the girl in disbelief trying to search for that one clue— that one characteristic she knew would make this scene real... dyed brown hair, powerful shoulders, and…

_This can't be happening._

…A scarred left ear.

Asami choked the name out, unable to stop the dread from trickling into her voice.

"…Jo?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOOH THAT CLIFFHANGER THOUGH


	15. Desire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! So sorry for the long wait between updates. *insert mini-rant about school here* 
> 
> I also *may* be updating this story again in a week or so if I complete the art for this chapter. 
> 
> In the meantime, Chapter 7 art can be found [Here](http://snowdumpling.tumblr.com/post/129140968484/chapter-7-girls-sixteen-year-old-asami-runs-away).

Kuvira leaned forward in her chair, running a clammy hand through now-unruly, dark tresses.

Even though it was well into spring break vacation, she was still teaching select classes every day with her advanced sections. For those who were serious about defending the nation, there was no time for rest. Today's session ran pretty late into the night, but it was finally over, and she could relax in her office with her hair down for another hour or two before returning home. She unzipped her jacket and reached a hand through the shirt's collar, seeking to unknot the angry tension trapped in between her neck and shoulder. She winced immediately—the hope of relief quickly extinguished—upon trying to knead into the damaged tissue. A wave of discomfort swooped down her arm and spread to her side, the soreness ending just above her rib cage.

 _Damn_ _…_ _The entire area's affected_ _…_

Still, she insisted that it was nothing she couldn't handle. She took a deep breath and ignored the sharp twinges of pain; for an ex-guard captain like herself, the injury could be compared to a paper cut. She spent another minute in silence, switching between hard and soft touches pressing into the muscle, before a careful voice spoke up behind her.

"Another strain?"

Kuvira didn't bother turning her head as she sighed to herself in slight exasperation; she'd forgotten to shut her office door. She continued to work on her injury without answering.

Baatar came in with a bag of ice, still unacknowledged by his fiance, and locked the door behind himself. He walked over to where Kuvira was sitting, and, kneeling down, put two gentle hands on her biceps. Before Kuvira even realized what he was doing, Baatar had slipped the rest of the green jacket off her and began neatly folding it.

"Baatar, I can manage myself—"

The scientist had already begun tugging at the hem of Kuvira's shirt, coaxing her to let him see the injury.

"Hardly," Baatar chuckled under his breath, his gaze sympathetic as Kuvira mumbled a refusal. She'd become even more resistant to showing weakness since taking over the Academy.

Though she was perfectly capable of metalbending restraints to keep his hands off her, she only fussed around. She was acting like a child, unwilling to show her guardian the nasty scrape she acquired from a fight at the playground. Baatar knew Kuvira well enough to understand her tough exterior was a protective measure—a shield that prevented the possibility of a healing touch becoming a manipulative one.

Baatar knew, that even after spending their childhood together, she sometimes put her walls up again, even around him.

He knew. And that's why his grip only became firmer.

"I just want to help," he reminded her softly.

She relented after a while, seeing that Baatar's understanding expression didn't waver. She slowly lifted both arms up, though the injured one was held at a slight angle due to the pain.

He touched the frozen bag to the back of her shoulder as soon as the shirt came off. "Now I know for a fact that mother trained you to put ice on an injury as soon as it happens."

Kuvira looked away, her face still unchanged despite the freezing cold temperature being held against her skin. "It's not a big deal. Just needed some massaging first."

"If you wait too long, the ice won't help the inflammation any."

Kuvira didn't answer; Baatar only kept his small smile, accustomed to her stubbornness. "Does it hurt when you lift your elbow past your collarbone?"

Kuvira folded her arm back and tried to raise her elbow, unable to stifle a groan as the arm fell back to her side like lead.

"Must have a small tear in your rotator cuff," Baatar murmured, sweeping back Kuvira's hair into a loose ponytail. He slowly moved the ice around the socket of the shoulder, trying to sooth it. He watched Kuvira take her other hand to guide the ice between her neck and shoulder again. Baatar frowned, now concerned that the injury was more extensive than Kuvira let on. "It hurts you there, too? Here, keep holding that while I examine you."

"You just _did_ —" Kuvira immediately jerked away from her partner's hand.

"The trapezius muscle extends down your back. And you keep leaning over to one side like you have a bruise there… Let me see your ribs."

"No, it's just the rotator cuff injury like you said, the pain just extends under my shoulder."

Baatar raised his eyebrow in suspicion. Kuvira wasn't ashamed of exposing skin—and besides, he'd seen everything already.

"Kuvira… am I going to be angry when I find out what caused your injury?"

"I never asked you for your help," Kuvira snapped. "You've got no right to be upset about the decisions I made."

The ex-captain had absentmindedly twisted towards Baatar in explaining her defense, and the abrupt change caused another shock of cramps trail up her side.

" _Argh_ —!"

Kuvira stayed silent for a moment as she mentally cursed herself for being weak.

"…Decisions, huh?" Baatar said after a moment.

Kuvira slowly looked up at him, and felt herself slightly backpedal when she saw sadness—not judgment—on his face.

 _Right… he's on my side._ The metalbender sighed and relaxed her guarded posture. _I'm sorry, Baatar…_

Kuvira held the ice pack as she lifted up her good arm. Baatar took that as a sign that she was willing, and began to unwrap her chest bindings to examine her fully. He adjusted his glasses and his eyebrows twisted together in confusion as an entire array of new bruises revealed themselves as the tape came off. They were vertical in shape, marking her back and her ribs. It looked like something a simple technique could cause with the aid of a powerful push.

_Like a slab of metal not quite hitting its target._

"Kuvira, is this…?"

"Yes, training."

"With your _students?"_ Baatar asked incredulously.

 _…_ _Or a focused air current slicing into an opponent._

"No, of course not," Kuvira said in a harsh tone. She deliberated for a minute, watching Baatar's face, knowing he'd be angry by the next explanation. "…It's from Zaheer."

Kuvira glanced at Baatar out of her periphery. She could see a flip switch in Baatar's eyes—she saw anger now—and he immediately jerked the swivel chair Kuvira was sitting on so she could face him.

"I thought we agreed your training with Zaheer is finished."

"Baatar," Kuvira said in a tone with more annoyance than ignorance towards her partner's concern, "The plan's already been set in motion—sooner than we expected. The Avatar and Hiroshi's daughter will eventually put the pieces together now that they're both in Zaofu sticking their noses where they don't belong."

"You can't hurt yourself!" Baatar cried out. "You… You just can't push yourself to do more than you can take on."

"Don't tell me what my limits are!" Kuvira shot back. "You can't expect me to win this battle if I don't make some sacrifices."

"Don't you get it, Kuvira? _None_ of this is worth it if you sacrifice yourself," the engineer yelled at her. "I can't believe this…You said you wouldn't train with him anymore while you were teaching classes. You _promised_."

"Then your heart isn't truly in this with me."

"Don't say that," Baatar said, his face flushed. "Kuvira, you… You are the most important thing to me."

"Listen to what I'm saying, then."

"Kuvira…" Baatar grit his teeth as he ran his fingers down the purpled flesh, "…I don't understand why you have to do this."

"Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"No, not that," Baatar said. "This… this whole plan. Reforming the education system. Training people to the fullest extent. Harnessing the power of the Spirits to build weapons for non-benders."

"You know why we had to do this. Did you already forget what happened when we were children?"

"Of course I didn't, Kuvira…" Baatar looked hurt and he tried to put his hands on his fiance's face, who turned her head away in refusal. "Don't you think we've taken it too far? The Avatar will retaliate once she realizes we're the ones behind the manipulation of spirit energy."

"That's why I'm training with Zaheer," Kuvira said. "I need to… master everything I can right now."

Baatar exhaled sharply through his nose, looking even more perplexed than before. "And this shoulder injury… Is that from Zaheer, too?"

"No," Kuvira said. She hesitated before answering, knowing Baatar was going to scold her.

"Where is it from, Kuvira?"

"I was doing some throws with my advanced class the day after I trained with him," she said. "They were all obligated to attend, but I still had a couple students absent because of spring break. So I ended up filling in for those without training partners a few times throughout the session. I can normally handle their weight, but…"

"But you weren't at a hundred percent."

"Guards still have to fight and defend, even if they hadn't had their _afternoon nap_ , Baatar," Kuvira snapped. "What was I supposed to do, let the people without a partner fall behind?"

"No, you were supposed to let them be students and find another way to teach them. They're not… part of some army."

"If you want this plan to work… They're going to have to be." Kuvira muttered.

Baatar swept a hand through his hair, exasperated. "Kuvira, you have to stop. You know that at heart you're a long distance fighter, but you insist on teaching close combat classes while training how to resist different bending forms with Zaheer. Leave it up to the rest of us. You're going to hurt yourself before you can even fight the Avatar."

"I can handle myself, Baatar." Kuvira glared at him. "I thought you'd know that by now."

Baatar watched his fiancé look away, her face darkened—an expression he didn't think would ever change until their goals were reached. His heart ached for her happiness. Baatar couldn't remember the last time he saw the ex-captain smile.

"I love you, Kuvira."

The commander still didn't look at him, instead watching the dark grey clouds move through the blue-black horizon.

"I know."

* * *

**Zaofu, Jia Li's Cafe**

Time had slowed down the moment Asami grasped the back of Korra's head. The only thing on Korra's mind was how long she'd been waiting to feel those lips. Soft and firm against her own…

Korra felt Asami's hands—delicate fingers that had been cradling her face with so much care and attention—withdraw from her cheekbones.

A blur of widening green eyes and open-mouthed shock snapped Korra out of her trance, and she realized the face Asami was making meant something was very wrong—and her gaze led right back to the waitress, the person responsible for taking away their kiss.

Korra didn't say anything at first, distracted, trying to place an identity on the intruder who had totally ignored the money on the checkbook, and was now taking a too-familiar stance with the heiress. Asami looked uncomfortable—frightened, even, and Korra was more than ready to leap to her defense.

"Hey… hey!" Korra finally felt the anger begin to boil over into her consciousness.

Why did this _rude asshole_ have to ruin the perfect moment Korra had for their kiss?

Neither girl turned to Korra, still locked in their absurd and highly intense stare-down.

"J-Jo… Is that really you?" Asami stuttered.

The blood drained from Asami's face when Jo smiled back, acknowledging that the heiress had guessed correctly.

"What… are you doing here?" Asami asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She had put her hands in her lap so no one could see her shaking.

The former Muay Thai champ shrugged. Asami noticed that while Jo held the same powerful stance, she had lost considerable definition since the last time she saw her. The girl was no longer as muscled and there were no new scars or bruises present on her face. "I should be asking you that same question."

Asami's jaw clamped up as she realized she had no idea what to do now that Korra was listening.

"Asami, do you know this girl?" Korra almost shouldered the heiress, trying to move in closer to Jo to force eye contact. The Avatar tensed up, scowling, ready to jump out of her seat.

"I…" Asami couldn't bring herself to process an explanation. _How am I supposed to do this? Korra can't know about the training dad put me through..._

_She just can't._

Jo laughed at Asami's speechlessness. "Use your words, sweetheart."

"Enough games!" Korra snapped, irritated at how this random employee was speaking to her potential girlfriend. "What do you want? Seriously, who the fuck are you?"

Jo Kim smirked over at the Avatar, clearly not anticipating any real backlash since Asami was trying to protect her past. "I think it's in your best interest to get to know who _this_ chick is first." She looked back at Asami and then at the breath mints hanging out of Korra's pocket. "…Since you're trying to get into her pants and all."

Korra shot up out of her seat and grabbed the waitress by her collar, yanking her forward so they were just inches from each other.

"Korra, don't—!" Asami immediately grabbed Korra's flexed arm, trying to tether the Avatar to her touch so the freshman wouldn't lose her cool completely.

"Alright, I don't know _who_ the hell you think you are, or why you think you can say whatever you want to my _girlfriend_ —" Asami's eyes darted over to Korra but didn't deny the notion, "—But you have about fifteen seconds to walk away before I smash your face in."

Jo Kim said nothing, only a smirk present on her features. "Wow, violent too. She's perfect for you, Sato."

"Korra, _please_ —" Asami begged.

She managed to make Korra sit down again, who continued to glare at the girl looming across from them. Korra aggressively pointed an open palm out at Jo, unable to keep still. "Are you at least going to tell me who this girl is? Or am I gonna have to beat the shit out of—"

"Don't—! Let's all just… calm down." Asami said hastily, putting one hand on Korra's shoulder and raising another in front of Jo. "Korra, I'm sorry… it's complicated."

"Complicated? Just tell me what's—" Korra's train of thought immediately derailed when she finally glanced back at Asami, who had lowered her eyes. She'd never seen the heiress look so worried before. The Avatar felt a pang of regret for being too rash, and for probably causing the increased stress on the heiress' face.

Korra immediately toned down her voice and gently grasped both Asami's shoulders, leaning down to meet her gaze. "Whoa, hey… Asami—are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just…"

"Who is she? Is she an ex...? Did she hurt you, or…?"

"No, _no_! It's nothing like that..." Asami shook her head. "I'm sorry… Could you just wait outside for a second? Please?"

"But…" Korra's urge to protest faded as she felt Asami's fingers clutch tightly around her bicep, showing the urgency of the matter.

"I'll explain everything later."

Korra looked between her girlfriend and the threat looming over the table. The freshman sized the waitress up before making a decision, considering the chances of a fight breaking out.

_Yeah, Asami could take her down easily._

"…Fine," Korra finally relented. She got up and stopped at the door, glancing back at the heiress. "I'll be right out here if you need me."

Asami took a moment to catch her breath before she looked up at Jo again. She opened her mouth to say something- to take back the strength she had lost momentarily from the surprise of seeing her sparring partner again- yet her voice vanished as soon as Jo reached a hand out towards her.

_Spirits, has it really been three years?_

Asami didn't anticipate the close contact so soon, and didn't manage to move away in time as Jo caught her chin in between her fingers.

"Oh, Sato. Don't look so frightened." Asami's eyes grew big as saucers when she felt the ice cold touch against her skin. She knew Jo could see right through her; Asami tried to keep a straight face but the fear in her eyes couldn't be hidden. "I should be the one shaking in my boots, considering what you did to me the last time we met…"

The last table had somehow emptied out, and now it was just the engineer and her long lost friend left in the cafe—Asami kept her gaze glued to the ceiling…Her body had become rigid.

"Looks like you're no longer immune to the taunts of your opponents…" Jo chuckled. "Someone's getting weaker."

Asami couldn't understand; she could tell from Jo's physique she had been out of training for a while. All it would take was for Asami to push her away with one hand. Yet she allowed her face to be held in place as the smaller girl studied her, grip her hard, mashing her cheeks slightly together and making her lips pucker.

"And you've got a girlfriend now?" Jo said in a voice that Asami could tell was both mocking yet interested. "Another toy for your collection?"

Asami's face darkened and she shot a hand forward to slap the smaller girl across the face. She wasn't really surprised when Jo caught her wrist; the heiress knew this is what Jo wanted, and Asami was playing right into her trap.

She couldn't stop it—she didn't know what to do.

"Careful there, princess," she smiled. "If you hurt me, your lovely girlfriend might find out who you really are."

Asami had finally stopped averting her gaze and glared at Jo directly.

"She's not a _toy_."

Bright jade made contact with dark amber. It was the first time in three years Asami had looked at Jo in the eye. It took a minute of searching before the heiress' eyebrows went up, surprised by what she saw. The fire she expected to see in Jo's eyes were gone. As if the bitterness had been extinguished a long time ago, and Jo had been merely stringing Asami's emotions along for old time's sake.

Was that… _hesitance?_

"Relax, I'm not here to hurt you," Jo said finally.

Asami's studied the other girl carefully, forehead creased in confusion.

_What game is she playing?_

Asami looked at Jo in surprise when she released her wrist and calmly walked to the back of the café.

"I'm going to get some tea for us while we talk," Jo said over her shoulder. "I'm guessing you don't want that milkshake anymore."

Asami was left sitting in her chair, stunned at what just happened.

 _Wait_ _…_ _she just wants to talk?_

The sophomore spent five minutes running over the possible conversation topics Jo was about to engage her in, all the while considering the outcomes of each scenario. Should she stay and wait? Grab Korra and leave?

The previously horrified look on Asami's face had diminished into a wary stare, and she eyed the waitress carefully as she came around the corner with a tray.

"Sorry for freaking you out back there, Sato," Jo said as she sat back down and placed two cups between them, filling it with boiling tea from the ornately decorated teapot. "I just haven't seen you in so long. I figured it was the perfect chance to repay you for this present you left me in junior year," she chuckled.

Asami looked at the gnarled earlobe Jo revealed as she pulled back her hair to indicate it.

"You... wait, what?"

"Come on, Sato, you guys were clearly about to get it on. I couldn't help myself," Jo grinned as Asami processed the little stunt that her former opponent had pulled.

 _She almost revealed my past_ _…_ _to ruin my chances of getting laid_ _…_ _as_ _ **payback**_ _?_

"This was tonight's special. Black Cherry tea," Jo spoke through Asami's thoughts.

 _Black Cherry tea_ _…_ _?_

What was going on? A truce was not what Asami had been anticipating. The heiress could feel her guard dropping like a rock as she watched Jo patiently sip from her cup. Though she still had the hardened expression of a fighter, it was clear that her posture was more relaxed now; her form seemed freer, like a large weight of emotion had finally been lifted.

"What are you _doing_ …?" Asami asked, still in a state of disbelief.

"As you can see… I'm working." Jo pushed Asami's untouched cup towards her. "Seriously, drink that. Republic City doesn't have this flavor."

Asami simply blinked down at the tea and looked back at Jo. "You're not from Zaofu."

"You aren't either. And this is the café I've been working at the last few years, so I think you owe me your explanation first, newcomer."

Asami gave Jo a funny look—her tone was almost playful. It was unlike the gruffness her voice used to carry back when they were sixteen.

"…I'm on spring vacation."

"Well I know that much. Everybody's on spring vacation. Why are you _here_?"

Asami was still suspicious of Jo's intentions, but she decided no harm could come from conversing with her about school.

"We're doing a research report on Zaofu for our final History paper… Not that it's any of your business."

Jo laughed and reached over to take the money Korra had left on the table, slipping it into her apron's front pocket. Asami watched her every move, her green eyes darting back from the hand (that Asami's jaw was well-acquainted with), to the uniform Jo wore, to the expression Jo had on her face.

"Geez, with all the smiles you had to fake back in high school to cover up your dad's abuse, you're a pretty bad liar."

" _Excuse me_?" Asami's eyes narrowed.

Jo may have lacked the hatred that used to lace her every word—but her manner of speaking was still callous as ever.

"…Which part do you want me to repeat?" Jo asked, her smile vanishing and her face becoming serious. "I know you didn't come all the way to Zaofu just to do a report. There are many cities you could have easily found research papers for." Asami's eyes narrowed and she bit her lip. "You're an efficient person—there's no way you would have troubled yourself just to come all the way out here for that."

Asami looked away. "And the first part?"

"Your dad?"

"Take it back," Asami said angrily.

"Why should I? It's true. I know he made you train with benders soon after you finished weapons training."

"...How do you know that? You weren't around when I started that phase."

"I worked for your dad, remember? Not directly, but I always followed Shin and he was under your father's orders. Shin always told me what was going on with you at home and in school so I could stay in the loop. After all, I was one of his best students... That is, until my final workday came."

Asami didn't remember much after the night she ran out; just that Jo Kim never appeared for sparring practice ever again. It was only a short time after that, when Asami had gotten a completely new rotation of instructors to learn other non-bending techniques. It looked like Jo knew her fate long before it would finally happen. It was as if that night was just a fluke in the grand scheme of her father's plan.

 _Dad's plan_ …

Asami's fist tightened.

"…I may not work for your dad anymore, but he's not finished. And by the looks of things, you're still not finished with him either," Jo said calmly; her words were even and unemotional.

"You don't know what you're talking about. I barely see my dad anymore. We call sometimes and talk, that's it." Asami grit her teeth.

"You think by running away to a fancy college in the mountains you've escaped him? Look around you. You don't even belong in Zaofu, yet you're here on a mission to stop Kuvira, a plan your father most likely has his hand in! He's everywhere! You should know this by now."

"Wait, you know something about Kuvira?"

"I know that your father was in contact with her while I was still assigned to train with you. And let me tell you something: she probably already knows you're here in Zaofu. If your father is, in fact, keeping track of your activity while you're away at college, then he's still working together with Kuvira. I bet she was sent the information long before you even arrived here."

"Hold on a minute- why are you telling me all this? Why are you helping me after what happened the last time we saw each other…? Aren't you mad at me?"

Jo leaned back and relaxed, though she turned her gaze away. "As much as I was surprised and humiliated for being beaten that badly by you, there was only two turnouts to that event: me losing, or you getting crushed. Fighting was the only thing I knew back then. Shin and his gym was the closest thing to a family that I had, so I only followed what they taught. After what happened that night, I realized he was just using his students for his own glory. I realized there had to be another way. So I stuck around for a year to see if anything would change (it didn't), so I packed up, told Shin to suck it, and moved to Zaofu to start a new life. And later I realized, even though it was for a different cause, your dad was just using you too."

Asami bit her lip. _So just like that, huh? Wish I had an epiphany that easy._

"You never really left your father, did you?"

Asami put her head in her hands.

"You have to make a decision, Asami. Like the one I had to make with Shin. Are you going to go on living for yourself? Or for your dad?"

"I don't know," Asami choked out. "I really just… need some time to think."

Jo scoffed. "Time? You've been in college for nearly two years- isn't that enough?"

"It's not that simple!"

"Of course not. But apparently you haven't given it a thought since you left for college. That's _exactly_ what your father wants- for you to stop thinking, to stop caring. Don't be a coward."

" _Coward?_ How could you say that _-"_

"-You believe that because you're less violent now, you have self-control."

"I'm nowhere near as violent as you are in nature."

"Maybe not, but I've never had a rage-induced blackout before."

"Anyone would have done what I did if you insulted their _murdered mother_ ," Asami hissed.

Jo's expression softened. "I'm sorry. I never apologized to you for what I said that night." She reached over and carefully put a hand on Asami's. "I know we've never gotten along, but that particular night I was instructed to push you over the edge with anything I could think of, because you've always been able to keep your cool. But… it doesn't make what I said any less wrong."

Asami made a face. "Why would my father order that…?"

"To see what made you tick… and to see if you had it in you to join Amon's cause."

"That guy… Amon, he's the one that wears a mask, right? I've seen a few flyers around my father's office. My father made me read a book about the cause once, but I never bought into his ideas."

"Yeah. He runs 'support groups', but really, they're big rallies that showcase ideas for nonbenders to become equally as powerful as benders."

"I know. My father was part of one. That Amon takes advantage of people's grievances and twists them into an ideology they normally wouldn't be a part of. I don't know why my dad's doing this. The benders that killed my mother are already in jail. Justice was served…"

"It's not vengeance," Jo ruminated. "Sometimes people pour their emotions into a cause they believe will help people like themselves. I don't know how training everyone and equipping them with enormous power is supposed to help humanity, though."

"Well… That's why we're here in Zaofu, to find all the answers."

Asami slowly reached for her own cup, surprised when she tasted how sweet the Black Cherry tea was as it reached the end of her tongue.

"Good?" Jo gave a small smile at her pleasant reaction.

The sophomore nodded. "Yes. Thank you..." Asami paused. "I'm sorry, too… About what happened that night."

"Let it go," Jo said, waving off Asami's apology and taking another sip of her tea. "There are more important things to worry about now."

Asami looked up in disbelief; she couldn't understand… The fact that Jo could so easily forgive her for what happened between them should have brought relief… closure, even, to Asami.

So why did the engineer feel even worse than before…?

Because as she saw Jo now, Asami knew—that girl was free and living her life for the better. Asami was not- still trapped between the possible fates caused by her indecisiveness.

"All those demons just writhing around in your head…" Jo's voice lowered to a whisper, "You think you've escaped them...but all you did was push them into another corner in your mind."

Asami shook her head. "That's not true…"

The heiress stared into the blackness of her drink, watching the reflection of the overhead light barely make a presence in her tea. That's probably what her heart looked like; the darkness was consuming her fast and she was just trying to ignore it.

She heard a faint patter against the window pane; the volume increased to a loud shower and she turned her head to see large droplets begin to pour down.

It wasn't supposed to rain tonight.

"You better get going," Jo said. "The domes won't be closing for another hour."

Asami turned back to her, somewhat wishing she wasn't being kicked out already.

_Then again, I only want to stay because I wish she'd tell me what to do._

Asami wanted Jo to have all the answers, but she knew that no one could make her choices for her but herself.

The heiress began to gather her things so she could leave with Korra and finally go home.

"Take care, Asami."

The heiress looked back at Jo—calmly sitting at the table, her chaotic life put completely behind her by now—and gave her an uncertain nod before reaching for the doorknob.

Asami was glad that at least Jo made it out of the darkness. Unfortunately, it seemed that Asami's troubles were only just starting.

* * *

**[~3 years ago]**

**[** "Dad?" Asami asked, peering into her father's study.

Hiroshi put the book he was reading down and swiveled his chair to face the entrance. "Oh, hi, sweetie. Come on in."

The high school junior stepped in and closed the door behind her, lithe fingers gripping the golden knob tightly. She looked at her father warily as he scooted back to his desk. She must have caught him in a good mood. His office door had been left opened a crack, and his eyes were calm.

She took the seat across from him, ever so slowly pulling the seat back, as if one wrong move would split open her father's mask and reveal the monster of grief that hid behind.

"What were you reading?" Asami asked, easing into the conversation as her father smiled back at her.

"This?" Hiroshi nodded to the face down book. "It's what my support group uses for our weekly reflection seminars."

Asami squinted as one eyebrow went up in confusion. "S-support group? Dad, when did you…"

"Relax, honey, it's fine," her father said calmly, noticing the look of apprehension that immediately crossed her features. He reached over, asking for her hand by holding his palm facing up. Hesitantly, she obliged, making him chuckle. "You're so jumpy these days."

Asami's eyes darkened. Sometimes, she was sure some entity replaced her father with a completely different man a long time ago.

The heiress sighed, remaining cool as she met his amber eyes with her green ones. She wanted to pull away as their gazes locked—it had become harder to look her father in the face as the years passed. His eyes, they… they were never the same as before.

"I've… done some thinking over the past few months, and I believe I haven't been trying my best with you."

Asami's eyes instantly lit up with a ray of hope. Was father finally coming to his senses?

"…I haven't had enough faith in your strength, and your ability to defend yourself from the outside world. You're almost a senior. My little girl will be going off to college soon. You need to learn to be independent, and that's why you will be doing something different this year."

Asami's heart raced as she eagerly leaned forward to hear what her dad had in mind.

"…You are strong enough to be training with benders, now."

Asami froze in place, the blood in her veins going cold. Wait… what?

"Dad, I don't understand."

"Here, read this book, Asami." Her father said, pushing it over into her hands. "It will explain a lot you need to know about—"

" _I don't want to!"_ the heiress suddenly screamed, slamming the book out of her father's hand and letting it fly through the air. "I can't… I can't take it anymore. This training. All of this, I want it to stop. Right now."

Her father sat back in his seat, looking at his daughter.

Asami huffed, her chest heaving heavily up and down from the extra stores of bravery she didn't know she had in her. Did she get through to her dad? Did he understand the effect his ideals were having on her? That nothing would ever be perfectly safe for either of them, no matter what lengths he tried to ensure that they were?

"Pick that up."

Asami flinched. "Didn't you hear what I just said? I don't want—"

"If you don't take back the filth you just disrespected me with, I won't hesitate to do what needs to be done."

Hot tears began to form in the heiress' eyes. "No, dad, this is what needs to happen! You need to stop pretending like things are going to get better just by practicing! Bad things happen, dad, and there was nothing we could have done to prevent mom from—"

"ENOUGH!" Hiroshi roared, immediately silencing his daughter. "That is… enough."

Asami cried silently as her father sat back. "If you do not comply with my terms, I will make sure every pro-bending arena in this town knows your name on its blacklist."

"What…?" Asami's voice wavered, a lump forming in her throat.

"Yes, I know you've been sneaking around after sparring practice to see the late night tournaments." Hiroshi said. "I have eyes and ears everywhere, Asami, you should know better."

Asami's shoulders shook as she held her face in her hands. _Why_ was her father doing this…? When had they become enemies?

How could he do this to her? Going to the pro-bending matches and getting lost in the games were her only real source of happiness. Not going out with the people who faked their friendship to shop at the mall. Not by being adored by boys and girls alike. He was ready to take her one means of escape away from her. She'd have nothing left if he followed through with his threat.

"If you don't train following my orders, you can kiss your pro-bending matches goodbye." **]**

* * *

Korra wasn't sure how the last hour's events unfolded so that she was now standing at the foot of the bed, water droplets cascading down her hair, watching Asami's back as her drenched blouse stuck to her skin. The heiress sat and clutched her arms in deep contemplation, rather than for warmth. The tension between them was so thick it could have been cut with a knife.

"Asami…?" she asked hesitantly.

Korra looked at the heiress who was somewhat hunched over, dark hair matted. The Avatar could only imagine the worried look on the engineer's face, the one she had left the café with, despite insisting to Korra that everything was fine. That _she_ was fine.

It took about twenty minutes of private 'catching up' before Asami had exited the café, took Korra's hand, and led her to the station even though it started raining. She wanted to walk in the rain, without an umbrella, and now her makeup was smudged; bursts of color around her eyes.

Asami said nothing; Korra was more than worried now. The freshman tried to offer the last piece of comfort she could.

"Here…" Korra walked around the bed and kneeled by Asami's legs. The freshman began making a grasping motion with her hands, pulling the water off the heiress and bending it into a bubble, putting it in the sink. She did the same for herself as well. Once she was dry, she sat in the bed next to Asami and pulled her into a hug. She could feel Asami's surprise as the heiress jerked her body a little, not expecting the comforting gesture.

"I'm sorry. Was it something I said?" Korra knew Asami's behavior had to do with this 'Jo' that had showed up to their table in the last minute, but she wanted to make sure anyway.

"No, of course not…" Asami whispered.

Korra nodded and waved her hand so that a light breeze dried them both off further, fluffing up their hair back to normalcy. Asami smiled a little; she snuggled to Korra tighter.

"Do you just want to get some sleep?" Korra began petting Asami's head; the girl responded positively by relaxing in the Avatar's arms.

"Can we just sit here for a little while?"

"Of course. Whatever you want." Korra adjusted herself so her back leaned against the headboard and Asami put her head in her lap. "I had a great time tonight."

"I did, too. Thank you, Korra..."

A few minutes of silence passed as the freshman soothingly combed her fingers through the older girl's hair.

"I won't make you talk about it if you don't want to, but… I want you to know that I hate seeing you so sad."

What a turn of events. The night had gone so well, and the past two days had been perfect. Asami smiled wryly; it was nice while it lasted.

"If there's anything I can do to help, I…"

"—Korra," Asami suddenly said.

Korra stopped talking and looked down; Asami's eyes shifted towards the door, purposely avoiding her gaze.

"If there was something… Something bad I did in the past…" she whispered. "Would you still accept me?"

Korra motioned for Asami to sit up so they could look at each other.

"Would you try to understand me, and... stay by my side?"

"Asami… _what_ is going on?" Korra squeezed her shoulders. "You're acting like… you're a different person."

Asami shut her eyes. She thought about the blood leaking down Jo's face and how she had snapped. She thought about the rage that had overtaken her and consumed her rational thought processes.

Korra looked at the heiress who could say nothing about these events.

"Whatever happened in the past can't be changed," Korra said. "You have to focus on your future actions. Like I am now, with asking you to train me. I normally don't do that kind of thing. Admit that I need help and all... You know? In fact, you're the one who showed me that. So… if it's something that's happened before… Yes, I'd still stay with you. But from now on, you have to tell me when you're in trouble. You have to let me help…okay?"

Asami bit her lip, running the conversation with Jo over in her head again as she had been doing the entire night.

"Korra… what do you want from this?"

The Avatar lifted an eyebrow in confusion. "From what?"

The heiress looked up at her while hugging her waist. "This. Us."

"Well…" Korra looked around the room, hesitating. It's not that she didn't have an answer for Asami, it's that she had too _many_ answers. "I think you're a pretty cool person. And I want to know everything I can about you."

Korra mentally slapped herself for giving such a lame description of the stunning genius before her. It was honestly too soon for her to not feel stupid giving the real reason why she was falling for the heiress.

"How about you?" Korra asked. "What do you want from this relationship?"

Asami remembered how she felt when she had held Korra's face in her hands. At that moment, she'd forgotten everything except the one desire on her mind:

 _The one thing I've wanted more than anything_ _…_

_Is to love someone more than I love myself._

But looking at Korra now and repeating the conversation she had with Jo in her mind… that's all Asami could think about. Her selfish needs.

"You. I want _you_ ," she said, beginning to sit up again and straddle Korra's lap while pushing her onto the bed.

_I want to know that I'm not a monster._

Asami began trailing kisses down Korra's neck as she shuffled to lift her shirt up.

"Asami, are you really okay…?" Korra was silenced by the heiress' lips and took that as a satisfying answer.

Asami thought about how warm Korra felt as flashbacks of her past sparring matches played around in a haze at the back of her mind. The heiress pressed her body as close as she could to the girl beneath her, taking in and transferring the heat.

_I want to feel good again._

She heard the rain outside, and she simultaneously imagined how cool the weather was and how soft Korra would feel once she was finished undressing. Asami quickly slipped off her blouse and unhooked her bra as she bent down again to Korra's face, their lips crashing into each other. She didn't have to wonder what the girl underneath was thinking about—she could already feel the accelerated breathing and hear her panting become heavier.

 _Yes_ , Asami thought as she began to sink lower and lower down Korra's body, keeping eye contact as her head began to dip down. _It's always been about what I want._

 _And no one_ _…_ _Not even Korra, will be able to change that._


End file.
